Moose Jaw Express March 10th, 2021

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Moose Jaw Pol-ice brave the snow during Special Olympics fundraiser Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Three athletes with Moose Jaw Special Olympics were thrilled to make several Moose Jaw police officers shiver during this year’s Polar Plunge — even without using water.

Scott Peterson, Carl Paulhus and Russell Hippert excitedly dumped buckets of snow over several police officers in the police station’s parking lot on March 1, as part of the fifth annual Polar Plunge fundraiser. The event is one of the biggest fundraisers for Special Olympics Saskatchewan (SOS) and supports more than 1,500 athletes.

The organization went with a virtual fundraiser this year since dumping buckets of water on people is not COVID-19-friendly, the SOS website explained. Instead, teams and individuals were encouraged to post pictures and videos of themselves being creative with “taking the plunge.”

The organization set the goal of raising $30,000 this year; as of March 2, $22,518 had been generated. All the money stays in the province to support individuals with intellectual disabilities.

“That was fun,” said Hippert afterward. “Not often do we get to throw snow at a police officer. The event was awesome, and I was glad to be part of it.”

The officers were very co-operative, agreed Peterson. He particularly enjoyed seeing Kane, an assistance intervention dog, and the animal’s handler, Donna Blondeau, the co-ordinator for Victims Services.

“The event went over very well,” echoed Paulhus. “I was impressed how it all turned out. A big thank you goes out to the police for coming out and getting iced on their heads.”

In February, an email was issued encouraging police organizations

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Morty the Moose - a.k.a. Const. Rod Zoerb - doesn’t let a bit of snow phase him as all three Special Olympic athletes baptize him during this year’s Polar Plunge. Photo courtesy MJPS Facebook

Const. Jordan Lonsberry puts on a brave face while Special Olympic athletes dump snow over her head. Photo courtesy MJPS Facebook

to join forces to raise money and awareness for Special Olympics, explained Const. Kyle Cunningham. Since the typical plunge was not possible, he thought that using buckets of snow was the best choice.

“It’s always great (to participate),” Cunningham said, especially since several officers — from the deputy chief to constables — agreed to take part.

The Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) has had a great relationship with Moose Jaw Special Olympics over the years, he continued.

Officers and athletes usually play various sports throughout the year, from floor hockey to bocce ball. With the pandemic still in place and no one able to gather, Cunningham thought having a smaller event was better since everyone could still share a laugh.

Cunningham was thankful that it snowed on Feb. 26, because as the organizer, he was able to change how this year’s Polar Plunge looked. He and his daughters shovelled plenty of the white stuff into buckets to use on March 1.

“I really didn’t want to get dunked with a bucket of cold water. I thought snow was a better option. So selfishly, I much preferred the snow,” he added.

Anyone interested in donating to Special Olympics Saskatchewan’s Polar Plunge 2021 campaign should visit specialolympics. ca/skpolarplunge.

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PAGE A2 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

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Brain Health Awareness Month begins with new BrainLove fundraising initiatives Larissa Kurz

The Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association is ready to kick off Brain Health Awareness Month with the launch of its awareness and fundraising campaign BrainLove, back for another year of spreading knowledge.

Every March, the BrainLove campaign puts a spotlight on the importance of brain health and the many ways the SBIA works to support individuals affected by a brain injury.

This year’s campaign launched via social media on March 1, opening the conversation about why people should focus on the health of their brains.

Much like last year, BrainLove is taking its message online this year, due to ongoing safety limitations. The SBIA will be continuing to share knowledge about proper brain health on Facebook, including advice like the benefit of brain teasers.

“Anytime you think about something, a word, an action, a picture, in a different way, the new connection your brain makes, strengthens it. Brain connections are like muscles because they need a workout to maintain their health. Give your brain a workout by thinking about something in a new way each day during the month of March,” said the SBIA in a press release.

Other activities that help bolster brain health include aerobic exercise to keep the

brain sharp, or listening to music, reading a book, learning a new word or language, and meditation to flex your gray matter.

It can also be very beneficial for the brain to enjoy a diet full of fruits, vegetables and foods rich in Omega-3, and keep safety in mind at all times — that means wearing a helmet, securing equipment like ladders before climbing on them, and being extra careful around fall hazard spots like stairs, to name a few.

The BrainLove awareness campaign is co-organized with the Saskatchewan Royal Purple Association, who said that although the pandemic is putting a damper on in-person fundraising efforts, they are confident in reaching their annual

21031mm4

pledge goal once again this year.

“2020 was a roller coaster year for our BrainLove campaign,” said Sandi Lougheed, chair of the SRPA’s charity partnership committee, in a press release.

“We were forced to learn an array of new fundraising methods, [but] this is an important partnership and responsibility for us in our province. We didn’t want to come up short.”

SRPA recently celebrated reaching a milestone total of $100,000 donated since the BrainLove campaign began in 2014, and organizers are hoping to double that total with the support of as many donors as they can.

This year, interested donors can even submit a donation online through brainlove. ca, to help boost the campaign closer to its ultimate goal of $200,000.

Additionally, to help encourage the public to learn more about the brain and collect donations in support of the SBIA, this year’s campaign is launching the new

BrainTees Golf Raffle.

With just 900 tickets available, the raffle will offer the chance to win a golf getaway package prize to partake in some of the brain-strengthening exercises the SBIA recommends.

“Since our goal in 2021 is to double our pledge to the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association this year, our BrainLove partnership is launching the BrainTees Golf raffle,” said Lougheed. “This will be a unique way for our supporters to combine a donation to SBIA and purchase a ticket on a great golf weekend in our province. All the profits will be used to assist our provinces brain injured residents and their families.”

For more information about the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association or the BrainLove campaign, visit sbia.ca, or contact the organization at 1 (888) 3731555 or info_sbia@sasktel.net.

SaskTel reminding customers to protect themselves against cyber scams

Larissa Kurz As part of a campaign for Fraud Preven- open it. Some scams are set up to comtion Month during March, SaskTel is en- promise the security of your device upon couraging customers to consider using opening that message. Instead, report the digital self-defence methods to proactive- message or email to complaint.abuse@ ly protect themselves against falling vic- sasktel.com and then delete it. tim to cyber scams.

If you did open the message, SaskTel urgTechnology has seen a sharp rise in popu- es you not to reply to it or open any links larity this year as many Saskatchewan res- or attachments that may be included. idents have turned to their devices to stay A legitimate business will never ask you connected during the pandemic, which to confirm personal or account informameans the possibility of encountering a tion in an unsolicited email, phone call or scam in cyberspace has also increased. message, said the Crown. If you receive SaskTel president and CEO Doug Bur- a message or email requesting this, connett offered a reminder to customers to tact the business that supposedly sent it be careful online, especially when shar- through a method other than the received ing personal information, echoed by the message — like visiting their website RCMP. through a legitimate search engine or “Cyber scams look very real and any- reaching out to them directly to confirm. one can be victimized,” said Inspector It can also be beneficial to quickly act to Andrew Farquhar, Officer-in-Charge of change your online passwords and even Federal Operations for the Saskatche- inform the involved businesses, such as wan RCMP, in a press release. “If you are your financial institution, that your inforasked to share your identity information, mation may have been compromised. By ensure you have a full understanding of doing this, they can take steps to secure what it is going to be used for, how long your accounts. it will be retained, and if it will be further For anyone who thinks they may have disseminated.” fallen victim to a cyber scam, SaskTel and The Crown offered a handful of protec- the Saskatchewan RCMP urge them to tion tips, to help customers better protect immediately report it to authorities. themselves overall while navigating the “Cyber scams see no borders. We encourage anyone who may have fallen victim online sphere: • use a strong and unique password for to a cyber scam to report these to us immediately because it may assist police in each online account; • avoid sharing personal or sensitive in- advancing our investigations and help us identify additional victims in Saskatcheformation on social media or online; • use strong anti-virus and anti-malware wan or across Canada,” said Farquhar.

Reporting a cyber scam can be done by software programs on your devices; • keep your device software up to date and contacting the Canadian Anti-Fraud Ceninstall critical security patches as soon as tre at 1 (888) 495-8501 or the Saskatchewan RCMP at 1 (306) 310-RCMP (7267), they’re available.

The Crown also noted that it’s important or even by contacting your local police to be wary if you receive any suspicious service. messages, and to know what to do when For more information on how to protect yourself online, check out sasktel.com/ it happens.

If you receive a suspicious message or support. email, SaskTel advises that you do not

legacy

MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A3

Tim McLeod

What legacy will you leave

MLA for Moose Jaw North Constituency Office located at: 200 - 99 Diefenbaker Dr, Moose Jaw SK

behind

BEHIND?

Please include the Moose Jaw Health Foundation in your estate plan.

(306) 694-0373

306-692-8884 mjnorthmla@sasktel.net

www.mjhf.org

Barricades have been installed on the north side of the Seventh Avenue Southwest bridge (as shown here) and the south side in preparation for repairs to the structure. Photo courtesy City of Moose Jaw

A map of Wakamow Valley shows pedestrians where they can enter the park. Photo courtesy City of Moose Jaw have been installed on the north side of the Seventh Avenue Southwest bridge (as shown here) and the south side in preparation for repairs to the structure. Photo courtesy City of Moose Jaw

Fences erected near Seventh Avenue Southwest bridge for upcoming repair Moose Jaw Express staff

Wakamow Valley users will have to access the park using different entrances because city hall has closed access to the Seventh Avenue Southwest bridge as part of the planned rehabilitation.

Contractor Harbuilt Construction from Moosomin installed fencing on either end of the bridge on March 2 as part of the overall site preparations and to keep

residents and workers safe. According to a news release, the City of Moose Jaw plans to spend $832,032 to rehabilitate the bridge, which has been closed to traffic since 2015 after suffering structural damage during an ice flood.

City council approved a motion during a special meeting on Feb. 22 to spend the money and give Harbuilt the contract.

Contractors and municipal officials will conduct site meetings this week to finalize a construction schedule and traffic plan, the news release continued. Once finalized, the municipality will issue those updates to the media and through the city’s website, social media channels, and app.

City hall reminds pedestrians that they cannot access Wakamow Valley/

Trans-Canada Trail using the Seventh Avenue Southwest Bridge. Instead, pedestrians are urged to use Ninth Avenue Southwest to access Connor Park or Fourth Avenue Southwest to access Wakamow east of the bridge.

Homeowners worried thatJason fire department charging fee for fire calls G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express A Moose Jaw couple wants homeowners and renters to be aware of what their insurance says about fire coverage after learning they might have to pay $10,000 to the fire department.

The couple — who asked to remain anonymous for fear of ridicule — have been living in a hotel since Feb. 12 after a fire damaged their home.

“We’re good. We were not injured. It wasn’t an enormous fire, but it made a big mess,” the wife said.

The couple’s insurance assessor arrived on the scene after the firefighters had finished and told them that they might receive a bill from the Moose Jaw Fire Department (MJFD) as part of a fee-forcharge, she explained. The assessor was surprised about this, noting he had assessed another fire two months earlier and learned the homeowners would be billed $10,000.

“He said he’s been in the business for 30 years and has never heard of property owners being charged,” said the woman.

The couple later received a call from Fire Marque — an Ontario-based insurance company that collects on behalf of fire departments — that gave them a claim number and asked for their insurance.

The agent also told them that the MJFD had instituted this recovery policy in 2015 but had acted upon it only recently.

The resident was unsure how much she would be charged since the bill had not arrived yet. She doubted that she and her husband would have to pay since they have insurance. Yet, she wondered how she missed the news that the MJFD would collect for attending to her home.

“I guess I’m just concerned. People (who are) apartment renters, they wouldn’t have a clue,” the resident added. “And then they would get a bill, and a lot of apartment renters don’t have insurance or anything.

And wow, people could really get a wallop here. It’s bad enough having a fire; that’s enough of shock.”

Fire chief explains The fire department does not charge a fee-

for-service in Moose Jaw but does when responding to calls in the outlying rural municipalities, explained Fire Chief Rod Montgomery.

Since 2015, the department has had an agreement with Fire Marque, which allows the company to check affected property owners’ insurance policies, he continued. If applicable, it ensures that the insurance provider honours the package premiums, with that money going to the department.

Those premiums are usually kept low since the fire department is fully trained, while the city is considered fully protected since there is a fire hydrant on almost every corner.

“But there’s no additional cost to the homeowner; their taxes don’t go up (and) their premiums aren’t affected,” said Montgomery. “It only affects them if they’ve made a claim, and the invoice is only to the insurance company.”

There are some years where the organization receives some money from premiums

and other years where it does not receive anything, the fire chief said. Meanwhile, municipal taxes pay for the department’s fixed costs, such as attending to a property and using the equipment.

City council updated the fire safety bylaw in 2019. Under the insurance indemnification section, the bylaw says that the full hourly rate can be applied to any portion of an hour worked. That rate is based on the current SGI fire suppression policy productive call rate; right now, it is $962.17 per hour.

If homeowners make a claim, Fire Marque sends them an invoice because the company wants to be upfront that the fire department responded to their property, Montgomery said. Fire Marque looks after everything since it is the insurance expert and has the time to look through policies.

The fire chief added that the money the department receives from Fire Marque goes into training, to upgrade equipment, and to enhance fire services.

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PAGE A4 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Phone: 306.694.1322 Fax: 888.241.5291 32 Manitoba St. West, Moose Jaw SK S6H 1P7 www.mjvexpress.com

Publisher: Robert Ritchie - rob@mjvexpress.com Editor: Joan Ritchie - editor@mjvexpress.com Sales: Wanda Hallborg - sales@mjvexpress.com Bob Calvert - sales@mjvexpress.com Gladys Baigent-Therens - Sales2@mjvexpress.com Steve Seida - Special Sales Thank you to all the contributing writers, without your time and support, the paper would not look the same.

Send your stories, events and pictures to; Joan Ritchie Ron Walter Joyce Walter

editor@mjvexpress.com

Jason Antonio Larissa Kurz

Randy Palmer Dr. Steven Heidinger Wanda Smith

Gosh! I’ve got it!

Spring fever has hit again!

Optimism is in the air as the snow is melting and birds are in a chirping good mood glad to be awakened by the warming sun.

As I am looking through this edition of the Express, I am keenly aware that our community has fought through the pandemic and everything else life has thrown our way.

Joan Ritchie Last year was a remarkable year in EDITOR terms of how organizations coped with pandemic restrictions and were able to develop new innovative ways to make thing happen. The 2020 Festival of Words shone as a beacon of light in the literary arena as they continued fueling readers’ passions for books through their virtual event, making a world-wide impact with streamings from across the globe. And already, anticipation is brewing for this upcoming literary festival with a number of March events planned.

I sense optimism, as well, in the farming community. Farmers are finally getting somewhat of a financial reward for their efforts in the field with commodity prices increasing. According to Canadian markets, agriculture exports played a role in helping Canada achieve its first monthly trade surplus since July 2014. In the case of canola, the May contract increased by $70.20/metric ton in February, far outpacing the $40.20/mt increase achieved in the new-crop November contract, which was the highest November contract trade seen since October 2012.

As stubble-jumpers in Saskatchewan, we have a high regard for our farming community as they utilize the province’s more than 40% of Canada’s cultivated farmland to qualify the province as the “bread-basket of the world.”

March is designated Agriculture Literacy Month and continues to spread the word to the younger generation of the importance agriculture plays in food production.

Good news, as well, Moose Jaw and District Food Bank has found a new building that will accommodate future expansions as they continue to serve the community providing food for those in need.

Another article in this edition brings out the question, “Is everything better with butter?”

Apparently, many think that the components of butter have been altered because of the use of palm oil for cattle feed, questioning the ethicality of Canadians touting that our dairy products are among the best in the world.

On another vein of innovation, in the medical field new simulation technology can transfer theoretical knowledge into practical medicine. This technology offers doctors the opportunity to perfect their surgeries via simulation prior to using live patients as first offerings. I think it’s an incredible step. The use of simulation is widely used in training pilots, so this B.C. web-based simulation platform, CyberPatient, will also have the potential to revolutionize surgeries in medicine.

On the editorial side of things, we always welcome and appreciate letters to the editor and are more than happy to publish them but have to qualify size restrictions on the number of words per letter; as of March 15, a letter to the editor will need to fit in the criteria of no more than 800 words. Keep ‘em coming!

All this and more in this edition of the Moose Jaw Express!

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.

Send your letters to the editor to: letters@mjvexpress.com or 888-241-5291 All columns, letters to the editor and editorials are solely the personal opinions of the writers themselves and not necessarily the opinions of The Moose Jaw Express.

The contents of this publication are the property of the Moose Jaw Express.

Reproduction of any of the contents of this publication, including, but without limiting the generality of the following: photographs, artwork and graphic designs, is strictly prohibited.

There shall be no reproduction without the express written consent of the publisher.

All ads in the Moose Jaw Express are published in good faith without verification.

The Moose Jaw Express reserves the right to refuse, classify, revise or censor any ads for any reason in its sole discretion. This paper may include inaccuracies or errors.

The Moose Jaw Express does not under any circumstances accept responsibility for the accuracy or otherwise of any ads or messages in any of the publications editions.

The Moose Jaw Express specifically disclaims all and any liability to advertisers and readers of any kind for loss or damage of any nature what-so-ever and however arising, whether due to inaccuracy, error, omission or any other cause.

All users are advised to check ad and message details carefully before entering into any agreement of any kind and before disclosing personal information. If in doubt, please take legal advice.

CORRECTION

Re: Feb. 23 Issue Moose Jaw Express: Article - Installing biogas digesters can save money for industry An incorrect number of digesters was used in a Feb. 23 Moose Jaw Express article: Installing biogas digesters can save money for industry. Our apologies.

However, the correct number of digesters according to the Canadian Biogas Association estimates about 200 aerobic digesters converting manure and feed wastes into electricity or natural gas are operating in Canada today.

Brilliant Idea! Hope the Federal Government invests in the project

Re: Saskatchewan Government Invested 15 Million Dollars into the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO-InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan Submitted by Richard Dowson

Focus on Viruses COVID-19 Virus has focused public attention on Viruses. The general public is learning what the Medical Profession, Farmers, Ranchers, Hog Producers and Agriculture Folks have known for centuries. Viruses are dangerous, deadly and economically devastating.

Consider the Cost of the Coronavirus to the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

For example, the cost per day, per patient of Hospital Care in Saskatchewan is $1,100.The Daily Cost for an average of 200 hospital patients is $220,000 or $1,540,000 per week – about $80 million a year.

The 2020 Contingency Fund was spent on COVID. As of March 1, 2021, $76.6 million of the current contingency fund is going to “… Saskatchewan Health Authority for pressures related to its COVID response.” That’s a lot of money to fight a Virus. (Wear a mask – save Health Care Dollars) Consider the Dollar Cost for small businesses and folks laid-off because of a Virus!

What is a Virus?

The Saskatchewan Science Centre writes, “Viruses are the most abundant pathogen on Earth.” Viruses are microscopic, between 0.02 and 0.25 microns (0.001 mm) and can only reproduce inside a living cell. When the Virus get into a living cell it reproduces like crazy.

Viruses infect Humans, Animals, Plants and Agricultural Crops.

Viruses have ‘plagued’ human kind since the end of Hunter-Gatherer era and the emergence of farming and the domestication of animals. Viruses have killed millions of humans, animals, birds and destroyed crops.

One, the barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), is spread by

aphids and affects cereals. Other Viruses cause various “Mosaic” diseases in crops. In fact, the first discovery of what turned out to be a Virus was 1893 research into the cause of ‘Tobacco Mosaic.’

Hog Producers Know the Dangers of Viruses Hog Producers know the dangers of Virus infection. A serous outbreak of a Viral disease among hogs usually leads to the eradication of all hogs.

The latest fear for Hog Producers is African Swine Fever (ASF). It has not hit North America and every effort is being made to keep it out. The Government of Canada writes that ADF, “… can spread rapidly though both direct and indirect contact with infected pigs or pig products, as well as contaminated farm equipment, feed and clothing.” Highly contagious!

Hogs and Current Research on African Swine Fever

by VIDO-InterVac On January 8, 2020 (last year), The Canadian Government announced, “the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) will work with African swine fever.”

Without Saskatchewan and the Federal Government making wise investments in preventing the spread of Viruses, Saskatchewan and Canadian Agriculture will suffer. We’ve seen COVID get out of hand and cause severe financial hardship. The need to be ahead of the next dangerous Virus is now.

Science needs to prepare for future virus calamities, whether human, animal or crops (plants). The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO-InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan can find answers.

Saskatchewan Festival of Words: Here’s what’s coming up in March Larissa Kurz While the annual literary festival extravaganza in July is fast approaching, the Saskatchewan Festival of Words is keeping its calendar busy in the meantime with another month of virtual events to enjoy.

Coming up in March, the Festival is continuing on with three of its most popular monthly programs, all of which have temporarily gone virtual in the midst of the ongoing pandemic restrictions.

On March 17 at 7 p.m., the Cineview Discussion Group is returning with a new monthly movie assignment and conversation. This month’s, participants are invited to watch the Golden Globe-winning movie Soul, a family-friendly animated film available to stream through Disney+.

Pixar’s Soul tells the story of jazz musician Joe Gardner, who has a near-death experience that leaves him stuck in the afterlife and desperate to return to his body in time for his big break. In his adventure to help out a fellow baby soul and return to his life, he contemplates his choices and perhaps discovers what it means to have soul.

The discussion group will meet virtually using Google Meets for the evening discussion about Soul. Registration is required to attend the discussion event.

The monthly Virtual Book Club is also returning in March, this time to discuss a young adult novel from a local author that is set very close to home.

On March 25 at 2:30 p.m., the book club will meet to discuss Moose Jaw author Melanie McFarlane’s latest book, Finders Keepers.

The novel, aimed at middle-school-age youth, is a story about a 12-year-old girl who lives at Buffalo Pound Lake with her family. When a move to the city threatens to change the life she loves so much, she sets out with the goal of scouring the beach for a treasure big enough to convince her mother to stay — and she finds it in the form of a lost mermaid who needs to get home to the Pacific Ocean.

Finders Keepers released earlier this year and is avail-

Finders Keepers by Melanie McFarlane is this month’s book-of-choice for the Festival of Words Virtual Book Club. (supplied)

able to purchase through all Canadian major publishers and on Amazon. It can also be found locally at Post Horizon Booksellers in Moose Jaw, as well as from the local library.

The book club discussion will be hosted through the Moose Jaw Public Library, with links to the video event available on their Facebook and website.

Also on March 25, the Festival will be hosting another virtual evening of the Performer’s Cafe at 7 p.m.

The open mic event will be taking place via Google Meet, inviting anyone to join in and take the mic to display their talent and creativeness. Past Performer’s Cafe events have welcomed musician performances, poetry readings, stand-up comedy and more.

Performer’s Cafe is entirely free and is an all-ages event.

Registration to take part or to tune in can be done through the Festival’s website.

For more information on upcoming events or this year’s Festival of Words, visit festivalofwords.com.

MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A5

Tom Lukiwski Report MP Moose Jaw -Lake Centre -Lanigan There’s an old political saying that if left-wingers didn’t have double standards they would have no standards at all. This maxim has proven especially true in the current debate in Parliament over Bill C-7, an act to expand access to medical assistance in dying (MAID).

The very use of the term MAID sugar-coats what it is – state-approved suicide. Already in Canada assisted suicide is permitted on compassionate grounds for people enduring terminal illness. But Bill C-7 goes much further and permits assisted suicide for anyone experiencing “intolerable suffering,” even if it is not terminal. In addition, the Liberals are also looking to amend the bill to allow people suffering from mental illness to access as-

sisted suicide.

Just two months ago, people from all backgrounds and political stripes marked “Bell Let’s Talk Day,” an annual event in which Canadians discuss the issues and seek to remove the stigma surrounding mental health. Among the issues spotlighted on those and other occasions is the epidemic of suicide in Saskatchewan, especially among our northern and Indigenous populations.

In one breath, my colleagues on the left say that not enough is being done to prevent suicide. In the next breath, when Bill C-7 is discussed, they say that suicide is a human right. Trudeau-appointed Senator Paula Scully stated, “If we cannot be sovereign over our own lives and our own

Tom Lukiwski, MP Announces Emergency Support for Local Legion Tom Lukiwski, Member of Parliament for Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan today announced that Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 59 has finally received emergency COVID relief funding under the federal Veterans Organizations Emergency Support Fund.

“Like many organizations, Legion Branches have been devastated by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Unable to hold events or rent their facilities, the organizations have lost almost their entire revenue in 2020. I am pleased and relieved that the funding has come through,” Lukiwski said.

Branch No. 59, which serves veterans in the Moose Jaw area, received $15,605 to help them pay their bills in the face of lost revenue due to the pandemic.

“Legions, including those in Moose Jaw and area, provide vital services and support for veterans, seniors and communities, yet their contributions are often overlooked in times of crisis. I am pleased to see their efforts recognized in this way so that they can continue to deliver services after the pandemic,” Lukiwski said.

Lukiwski applauded the work of the Legion staff in making the announcement possible. “[The] announcement is not simply a matter of federal generosity. It is the result of combined efforts of Legion representatives from local branches up to the Dominion Command level. They have worked tirelessly with elected representatives to press the federal government to recognize and support the work of Legions.”

Lukiwski said that the work of seeking support for Legions was not over.

“While I welcome this disbursement of funding, more needs to be done to support our Legions and communities that depend on them and I will be continuing to work with local Legions and the Government of Canada in 2021 in pursuit of the federal supports our veterans and communities require.”

The support fund can be used to cover a wide range of branch expenses, from wages to rent and utilities to enhanced cleaning costs.

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souls, then we are enslaved indeed.”

It’s hard to understand the mental and moral knots that advocates of Bill C-7 twist themselves into when the say that suicide should both be prevented and enabled at the same time.

Conservatives in the Senate are leading the charge to have the bill amended to exclude mental illness from the list of conditions that can access assisted suicide.

Chief among the Conservative opponents is Senator Denise Batters, for whom this is a very personal and painful issue. Her husband, former MP Dave Batters, committed suicide after a long struggle with mental illness.

“The consequences of passing [the amended bill] will be dire. This will undermine suicide prevention efforts and treatment for mental illness. It places Canadians with mental illness at risk for premature death when they might otherwise have recovered successfully. Experts have repeatedly told us – mental illness is not irremediable, it is difficult to predict, and

there is no consensus in the medical community on this issue,” Batters said.

Like many of my Conservative colleagues, I am adding my voice in opposition to this bill in Parliament. But we can’t stop the bill on our own. We need support from the public. If you feel, as I do, that the government of Canada should be helping to prevent, not enable, suicide, then please consider writing to the federal Minister of Justice David Lametti to let him know your thoughts and comments: David.Lametti@parl.gc.ca.

Tom Lukiwski, MP, Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan #1 - 54 Stadacona Street W, Moose Jaw, SK S6H 1Z1 www.tomlukiwski.com Phone 306-691-3577

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.

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Report from the Legislature

Lyle Stewart

MLA Lumsden-Morse

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Protecting public health and providing supports in reMLA, sponse to COVID-19 remains Lumsden-Morse the focus of the Government of Saskatchewan. Today, we have reason for optimism.

Over 80,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan and our province is set to receive approximately 112,000 doses this month. We expect vaccine deliveries to pick up even more in April and so, in the meantime, I ask that we all continue to be patient.

Health care staff are working tirelessly to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are ready to be delivered to Saskatchewan people as soon as we receive them, and I have full confidence in their ability to do so. When the

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COVID-19 vaccine is made available to you, I ask that you strongly consider taking it. It is the best way to keep ourselves, our families, and our communities safe – and will help us return to normal. So, until then, please continue to follow public health guidelines that are in place.

Wash your hands, wear a mask, practice physical distancing, and limit your close contacts. There is a light at the end of this tunnel.

As Saskatchewan leads the nation in vaccinating residents as fast as possible, we are optimistic our cases and hospitalizations will keep declining. I am hopeful that we will continue to see our COVID-19 situation improve in the days and weeks to come.

If you have adapted your business to operate during the pandemic, spent money training staff, or if you have had to close or scale back due to an emergency order, you may be eligible for COVID-19 support from the province, but deadlines are approaching soon.

The Saskatchewan Small Business Emergency Payment, Strong Recovery Adaptation Rebate, the Re-Open Saskatchewan Training Subsidy, and the Saskatchewan Tourism Sector Support Program are all in place to support businesses. If you have questions or require assistance accessing these programs, please contact my office.

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SGI is offering a one-time rebate to all registered vehicle owners this spring. Due to very strong investment returns and, to a smaller degree, fewer collision claims during the pandemic, the Saskatchewan Auto Fund Rate Stabilization Reserve is in a very strong financial position.

Rebate cheques will be mailed to customers who have paid Auto Fund premiums in the past three years and are residents of Saskatchewan. You can verify your mailing address at www.MySGI.ca or by contacting your local motor license issuer.

The temperature trend following the most recent cold snap is encouraging to those looking forward to warmer days and more time spent outdoors.

Reservations for the 2021 camping season in Saskatchewan Provincial Parks are set to begin April 12 for seasonal campsites and April 14-23 for nightly and group campsites.

You can begin reserving sites at 7 a.m. each day, and there is no longer a need to login early. You can visit www. saskparks.com to learn more about this year’s camping season and reservation system.

MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A7

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March Traffic Spotlight has SGI focused on distracted and drowsy driving Larissa Kurz

This month’s SGI Traffic Spotlight is focusing on distracted drivers, with law enforcement on the lookout for those behind the wheel who aren’t paying close enough attention.

Distracted driving is one of the largest traffic concerns in the province, which is why SGI is reminding drivers to keep their phones in their pockets and give full and undivided attention to the road.

"Ignore the temptation to look at your phone when you’re driving,” said Penny McCune, chief operating officer of the Auto Fund, in a press release. “When

you’ve arrived at your destination, you can doomscroll, go down a TikTok rabbit hole, or binge-watch Bridgerton to your heart’s content. But when you’re behind the wheel, driving is all you should be doing."

While phone use has become one of the most common ways officers see drivers distracted behind the wheel, there are other things drivers do that can also be considered unsafe distractions, like eating, using a GPS or playing with the radio, interacting with pets, or fixing your hair or makeup.

SGI to issue $285 million in one-time rebates this spring, increase serious injury benefits Larissa Kurz

SGI will be providing customers with an estimated $350 million this spring by issuing one-time rebates to all registered vehicle owners, while also improving the benefits offered to its most seriously injured customers.

The new rebates are being offered due to the Saskatchewan Auto Fund Rate Stabilization Reserve being in a very strong financial position, said Minister Responsible for SGI Don Morgan, in a press release.

Strong investment earnings for the Rate Stabilization Reserve (RSR) during the past fiscal year and fewer collision claims due to the COVID-19 pandemic were contributing factors to the decision to provide rebates.

“As a result, SGI will pass on these earnings to the people of Saskatchewan by issuing rebates to all registered vehicle owners and by improving injury benefits,” said Morgan.

The Crown corporation has been approved by the provincial government to issue the one-time rebates, totalling $285 million, this May. Cheques will be delivered through the mail to all SGI customers who have paid Auto Fund premiums in the last three years and are residents of Saskatchewan.

The amount each customer will receive

will vary, as the rebates are being calculated based on a proportion of vehicle premiums paid in the previous three years.

SGI expects the average rebate will work out to $285 per vehicle, or about 26 per cent of an average annual premium in Saskatchewan.

Due to the nature of the Auto Fund and the RSR, SGI said that it will be able to absorb the one-time cost associated with issuing this rebate with no disruption to insurance rates.

SGI will also be enhancing the benefits offered to customers who receive longterm injury benefits as a result of being injured in vehicle collisions.

Customers who require assistance with daily tasks will see the maximum payments for those services increase to reflect current market rates. This is expected to affect more than 1,100 individuals.

Customers who receive income replacement benefits from SGI and the Canada Pension Plan will also see changes, as their SGI income benefits will no longer be reduced by their CPP payment. This is expected to benefit approximately 200 people.

To verify your mailing address is correct or to find more information about these changes, visit MySGI.ca or contact your local motor license issuer.

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Police will be focusing on distracted drivers, with an additional focus on drowsy drivers, to remind people that the penalties for unsafe driving can be very steep.

For the first infraction under distracted driving legislation, drivers are looking at a $580 ticket and four demerit points. For a second offence occurring within a year, expect a $1,400 ticket and another four demerits, and a possible 7-day vehicle seizure. A third infraction within a year means a $2,100 ticket, four more demerits and another 7-day vehicle seizure.

Although the legal penalties for distracted driving are steep, SGI is also highlighting a more important consequence - the potential to hurt yourself or other people on the road.

Drivers who are distracted or drowsy and unable to stay awake have a slower reaction time, decreased awareness and impaired judgement. Driver inattention

causes thousands of collisions on Saskatchewan roads every year, said SGI, with many people left injured or deceased as a result.

SGI offered some advice to help drivers avoid distractions: • Avoid the temptation of checking your phone behind the wheel, whether that means turning off notifications, powering it down, or putting it someplace where it can’t be seen; • plan ahead and make sure you and your passengers have everything you need before hitting the road; • select your music and set your GPS before beginning your drive; • make sure you are rested and ready to go before you leave the driveway; • don’t be afraid to pull over and rest if you’re feeling tired or unfocused while driving.

To help make the roads safer this year, SGI is encouraging all drivers to “keep your head out of your apps” and avoid the consequences of distracted driving.

February’s Traffic Spotlight was focused on impaired driving, while January highlighted the driving trends seen over the holiday season.

PAGE A8 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

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Fewer calls in 2020 likely due to pandemic restrictions, fire chief says The Moose Jaw and District Fire Department responded to fewer calls last year than 2019, with false alarms, motor vehicle collisions and hazardous materials situations seeing the largest drops.

According to year-end statistics presented during the recent city council meeting, the fire department handled 786 calls last year, compared to 929 the year before, 807 in 2018 and 824 in 2017.

“We’re down a little bit. That’s good news,” Fire Chief Rod Montgomery told the Moose Jaw Express. “I think a large part of it was people being at home (and) not being as mobile. The COVID played a part in it.

“So really, nothing too dramatic. Obviously, at the end of the day, I’d like to get to zero, but we know that will never happen.”

2020 data The data for 2020 compared to 2019 shows: • False alarms: 312 / 331; • Fires: 134 / 119; • First responder EMS: 44 / 75; • Hazmat situations: 112 / 158; • Malfunctioning equipment: five / 83; • Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs): 64 / 96; • Carbon monoxide, other: 14 / 6; • Rescue: 13 / 14; • Service calls: 39 / 27; • Electrical, such as power lines: 16 / N/A; • Rural incidents: 33 / 20

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

The fire department saved $585,600 worth of property last year from fire, while $667,300 in property was lost to fire. In 2019, it saved $70.4 million worth of property while $2.5 million was lost, and $4.09 million in property was saved in 2018 while $1.2 million was lost.

Vehicles and false alarms Montgomery was pleased with the decline in MVCs and commended his department’s education co-ordinator for working with police and Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) to educate motorists about distracted driving. Those efforts have convinced people that driving distracted is “not a cool thing to do.”

False alarms continue to be a problem even though those numbers did decline, he continued. The department wants to see those decrease even further and will work to ensure that happens. This includes encouraging people who purchase alarm systems to make themselves the first contact when an alarm occurs.

Responding to false alarms is not a waste of time since early detection is important, said Montgomery. It’s necessary to have a working smoke alarm since it will wake homeowners at 3 a.m. should a fire occur. However, batteries should be changed often, while new smoke detectors should be purchased every 10 years.

City council adopted a new fire safety bylaw in 2019 that included charging property owners if three false alarms occur at that property. The department has not had to fine anyone yet for breaching the bylaw.

“Those are instances where it’s troublesome in that peo-

ple aren’t properly locating their devices,” the fire chief said. “Our first goal is to always work with those people.

We’ve made contact with some of our frequent flyers … and we’ve been working with them, and that’s helped.

That’s still something we continue to work on.”

Montgomery added that having working carbon monoxide detectors is also important since that is a dangerous gas.

Fires and hazardous materials While there were 119 calls about fires last year, fewer than 10 were related to house fires, said Montgomery.

The rest were due to grass, vehicle, trash or structure fires.

The category of hazardous materials is misnamed since the department is actually picking up sharps or needles in public places, he continued. The department wants to see this issue moved into general service calls to be more consistent.

“To categorize them as a hazardous material incident may be a bit of a stretch,” Montgomery said, noting his organization is working with the province to record those issues properly.

“Needle pick-up is a problem in the community. It raised its ugly head five years ago and has not gone away,” he remarked.

The fire chief added that homeowners are responsible for disposing of used needles in their homes. The fire department only picks up needles if they pose a danger in public.

MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A9

March declared Agriculture Literacy Month in Saskatchewan Larissa Kurz

Annually, the province of Saskatchewan declares March to be Agriculture Literacy Month, to promote conversations about the agriculture industry among students across the province.

“Agriculture Literacy Month is a great opportunity to educate our children and grandchildren about the dedication of Saskatchewan producers and the worldclass, environmentally sustainable food that they grow,” said agriculture minister David Marit, in a press release. “Through stories and presentations, students will learn first-hand how our producers create the safe, high-quality products they are known for.”

This is the tenth year in a row that Saskatchewan has celebrated Agriculture Literacy Month, with the goal of showing students the role agriculture plays in both this province and across the world.

To support this initiative, the provincial government has pledged an additional $400,000 in funding to Agriculture in the

Agriculture in the Classroom offers things like in-classroom kits to help students learn more about the different facets of the agriculture industry. (supplied) Classroom Saskatchewan this year. The funding is sourced from the surplus left after the winding-down of the Gross Rev-

enue Insurance Program in 1996.

“It’s remarkable to reflect on 10 years of Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month

and the thousands of meaningful student connections we’ve made with the agrifood sector,” said AITC Sask executive director Sara Shymko in a press release.

“We appreciate the additional funding and are excited about the opportunities to continue to grow this valuable program and develop new student experiences.”

AITC Sask is providing classrooms with virtual programming for Ag Literacy Month this year, providing educators with Healthy Foods from Healthy Farms resources like books, interactive activities and a video series exploring food production and processing.

They are also connecting classrooms with local farmers and ag industry professionals in their area for virtual classroom visits throughout the month.

Since it began, Agriculture Literacy Month has reached over 42,000 students in over 1,500 schools, thanks to the support of more than 1,000 volunteers.

PAGE A10 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

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‘Immature kids’ likely responsible for vandalizing Crescent Park mural, artist says Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

The Moose Jaw Police Service is searching for two wannabe Picassos who are believed to have vandalized several structures in Crescent Park, including the amphitheatre mural.

The vandals are thought to have struck between Feb. 23 to 24 and tagged the library, art museum, cenotaph, wooden bridge, a tree and the mural with the symbol “060 IG,” explained Const. Kyle Cunningham. The police service used video surveillance and is confident that at least two people are involved.

Employees with the parks and recreation department were notified about the graffiti and moved quickly to clean it up. A high-pressure steam machine was brought in to remove the tags to avoid damaging the mural.

While city crews worked to remove the damage, pictures made their way onto social media before local news outlets became aware and reported it, Cunningham said. Despite the lag in reporting, it is still important to promote this news so that residents can help the police.

“The last time we used Crime Stoppers, we were able to make an arrest with that larger vandalism incident in the downtown area as well, (with the) ‘I’m sorry’ (tags) incident,” Cunningham added. “So

While parks and recreation department staff used a high-pressure steam machine to remove the graffiti from the amphitheatre mural, the mural will have to be touched up this summer to fix the damage. Photo by Jason G. Antonio that one we were able to make an arrest and move ahead with a number of charges for that individual.”

An investigation starts when someone sees vandalism or mischief and reports it.

The police service then ensures that the vandalism isn’t dated and hasn’t been reported before, Cunningham explained. A complaint is generated for each new incident; if the vandalism is nearby, such as at the library and mural, each will be inves-

tigated separately and as a whole.

Doing this allows police to gather witness information and data from video surveillance. They can sift through the video footage to identify suspects and hopefully lay charges, he added.

Immature kids This isn’t the first time that the Crescent Park mural has been vandalized because it seems every year, youths target parks with graffiti or destroy flower beds, said Grant McLaughlin, a community artist who painted the amphitheatre mural in 2003. He completed plenty of touch-up work on this mural last summer.

“There’s always going to be a new generation of immature kids. In general, most of the murals are left alone, but parks — it doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s parks or playgrounds — that’s kind of what they do … ,” he continued. “These aren’t very brave people, but they would probably be doing something more damaging and stupider if they weren’t doing this.”

This vandalism reflects what society thinks these days, he added, as some people do not respect themselves or their community and want attention.

Not much can be done to curb this type of vandalism since Moose Jaw doesn’t have the same graffiti problem as Winnipeg,

McLaughlin said. Winnipeg has created an area where youths can create beautiful-looking artistic-type graffiti. However, most kids vandalized things to copy others or because they are part of a gang.

“We can’t, in our country, do much for penalties because they’ve pretty much eliminated responsibilities, (which) is an obsolete word,” he continued. “I suggested they put a camera up when the mural was being installed … but they really wouldn’t do anything even if they did catch (the vandals).”

McLaughlin stated that parents should be encouraged to take more responsibility for their children and instill responsibility in them. Kids should be encouraged to join extracurricular activities since those youths usually are not responsible for damaging parks.

McLaughlin noted that he was once a teacher, but there is only so much teachers can do to influence children. It’s up to the parents to do better and even acquire better parenting skills.

One idea McLaughlin had was for retail stores to better monitor to whom they are selling spray paint. He also thought that stores could add an extra cost to every spray can sold to help clean up graffiti when it happens.

MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A11

- Moose Jaw’s Source for News! REFLECTIVE MOMENTS

news, weather and sports Thanks toLocal Ursell, Scoop for Moose Jaw memories

“Is there anybody here from Moose Jaw?” —anyone who remembers the production, Year of the Moose presented as part of Joyce Walter the city’s settleFor Moose Jaw Express ment anniversaronjoy@sasktel.net ry in 1982?

That historical “melodious moosical” was co-written by Ken Mitchell, Barbara Sapergia and Geoffrey Ursell, a trio with astonishing literary talent and better yet, with Moose Jaw roots. It was those Moose Jaw roots that made the play, Year of the Moose, the perfect celebratory moment of the community’s celebrations. It went on stage Nov. 17-20 that year, under the direction of Lyle Johnson and featuring Peacock Players.

Memories of the play came quickly after reading Geoffrey Ursell’s death notice. He passed away Feb. 21, a month shy of his 78th birthday. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Sapergia, several siblings and a provincial writing community that held him in awe for his many successes as playwright, novelist, poet, short story author, and prolific songwriter. Many of his songs showed up in his musical productions, including Year of the Moose.

Some of the songs from Year of the Moose included Edgar Dewdney, The Promised

Your connection to the world

Land, The Capital Rag, Strolling Around Down in Moose Jaw, Temple Gardens, Loganberry Wine, Mickey Mackey and of course, Is There Anybody Here From Moose Jaw? Music was arranged by Rob Bryanton.

Ursell joined forces with Robert Currie, the late Gary Hyland and Barbara Sapergia to co-found Coteau Books, leading it to become one of the leading publishing houses in Western Canada. Because of ill health he retired from Coteau Books in 2013 after 38 years.

Condolences are sent to Barbara Sapergia and other family members. Geoffrey will be remembered fondly for his creativity and talent, and for his ability to retain his Moose Jaw roots.

••• Mayor of Moose Jaw in 1982 was Louis (Scoop) Harrington Lewry who was also chairman of the Moose Jaw 100 Committee.

In his Year of the Moose program message, Scoop had this to say: “This presentation, written by three ‘displaced’ Moose Jaw writers, Ken Mitchell, Barbara Sapergia and Geoffrey Ursell, will literally go down in history as part of Moose Jaw’s heritage.

“Down through the years many people around the world have poked fun at our ‘funny’ name, and it’s only during the past few years that we have been able to take advantage of these connotations of derision by using them to our advantage.

“Now if we would only get our own people

to get used to being called Moosochapisanippians!”

The role of Scoop in Year of the Moose was played by George Loucks.

••• Louis Lewry was born April 16, 1919 and passed away Feb. 25, 1992 after serving his city and beyond in a variety of political and community roles. He was elected as an alderman in 1948 and then served as mayor from 1950-1956. In 1957 he was elected as CCF Member of Parliament for Moose Jaw-Lake Centre but lost his post the next year to J. Ernest Pascoe. He returned as mayor from 1965-1970 and again for six years in the 1980s. He received the Order of Canada in 1980.

Scoop took every opportunity to promote the City of Moose Jaw, was well-known for always having wooden nickels in his pocket to hand out to citizens and visitors, always answered every phone call, sent personalized letters to citizens for special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries, and usually on weekends attended as many such celebrations as possible.

His legacy of community service continues to be recognized through the Scoop Lewry Award which is presented through the Municipalities of Saskatchewan (formerly Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association-SUMA).

The award recognizes outstanding service in municipal government or administration on a local, provincial or national basis.

Scoop was president of SUMA from 195657 and first vice-president in 1975. The award is not necessarily presented every year.

This year’s winner, announced at the virtual conference, was Malcolm Eaton, former mayor and councillor in Humboldt. The award was not presented in 2019 or 2020.

In 2018 the award went to Debra Button of Weyburn.

Without a doubt Scoop would already have a committee put together to plan a party in 2022 for the 140th anniversary of Moose Jaw’s settlement, or at least a committee to plan celebrations for the 120th anniversary of Moose Jaw’s incorporation as a city in 2023.

Perhaps an updated reprise of Year of the Moose would be a suitable celebration for either or both occasions.

Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@ sasktel.net

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.

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No more Trading Thoughts and Bizworld columns, at least for awhile For Moose Jaw Express Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com columnist Ron Walter will not be contributing his columns/articles for at least for awhile.

He has been writing every week since June 15, 2010 when the Express went weekly in Moose Jaw and district.

“When I started writing for the Express in my retirement, I was asked, ‘how long will I do it?’” he said. “I said I would do it until it’s no long fun.”

Being locked down by the pandemic and unable to get out

and talk to people has made that day of “no longer fun” arrive.

Walter may return to limited writing this summer.

“I want to thank all the readers, and Joan and Rob Ritchie and Bob Calvert of the Express,” he said. “I couldn’t have chosen better people to write for.”

As well, the Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com wish Ron well as he takes time for himself over the next few months to breathe the spring air and enjoy life.

Low moisture levels continue to affect southern Saskatchewan, report says Moose Jaw Express staff

Moisture conditions continue to vary across EXPRESS the province, with a wider band across northern and central Saskatchewan likely to see near-normal runoff, according to the Water Security Agency (WSA).

Compared to the February spring runoff report, conditions for March show that areas around Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Melfort and La Ronge will see almost normal runoff conditions, the report explained. Snowpack levels are higher throughout central Saskatchewan, while pockets of southwest Saskatchewan are also expected to receive near-normal runoff, including Kindersley, Leader and Cypress Hills.

Lower moisture conditions continue to affect many parts of central and southern Saskatchewan, with a band of below-normal runoff expected to encompass North Battleford, Swift Current and Regina, the report continued.

Most of the far south, including Assiniboia, Estevan and Weyburn, are anticipated to see well-below-normal runoff.

AGRIMART

Conditions over south-central and southeastern areas — including east of Highway 4 and south of Highway 1 — are particularly dry and could face snowmelt runoff. While surface water supplies at larger reservoirs are expected to be met this year, users who rely on smaller reservoirs or dugouts could see shortages continue or emerge in 2021 if snowpack conditions do not improve.

Ice on bodies of water does post a risk during the melt period, the report said. While the risk of ice-jamming is lower this spring with the expectation of below-normal runoff, ice on water bodies does become unpredictable and dangerous at this time and should be avoided.

“WSA reminds the public that the runoff potential and response can change depending on future snow accumulations and water during the melt,” the report added.

“WSA will monitor conditions through to the completion of the runoff event.

“A final runoff report is expected to be issued in early April unless runoff is complete or near-complete over most areas.”

News Vs. Opinion: Nary the Twain Should Meet

Marc Legare

A Distant View

Marc Legare is a philosopher and motorcycle adventurist.

He has travelled extensively, worked and lived in Australia, US, and across Canada.

He has a varied working career including: Firefighter, Lawyer, Navy, Motorcycle Importer, plus others.

He chose to return to southern Saskatchewan because of his family’s deep roots here.

As a columnist, Legare’s columns will offer food for thought.

What ever happened to newscasts that reported facts and left opinion where it belongs, with the viewer/listener?

Those programs are long gone. Gone are the days when news reports stopped after facts were presented. Gone is the stoic news anchor whose integrity would not allow opinion and belief to cloud the news itself. Gone are the days when facts stood by themselves and the people interpreted the news without a bombardment of opinion within the newscasts. Gone are the days when the phrase, “It is the opinion of this reporter...” was commonly heard within an investigative piece or editorial.

In the past, news broadcasts consisted of television and radio channels reporting the news, weather and sports.

There were investigative journalism editorials in a separate and distinct time slot. There was a clear distinction

between the news and opinion programs because they were different animals. News presented facts, whereas editorials delved into those facts; poked, prodded, and sometimes offered opinion.

Importantly, these programs, the news and editorials, were not considered the same thing. There was a clear demarcation line between the two. Facts were reported in the news, and editorial programs were not part of the newscast. And nary the twain did meet, for a good and valuable reason.

Facts alone within a news broadcast standing by itself, without opinion added, is difficult to be used as a propaganda tool. News programs have forever claimed objectivity and non-propaganda based reporting as a hallmark of journalism. When opinion becomes part of the news program, the facts can, and are, marred, diminished, and in some cases, out and out manipulated.

This clouding and melding together of news with opinion in our modern broadcasts is not only inappropriate, it is downright dangerous. The difference today is shocking and troubling.

Let me give you an example. In the recent US election debacle, President Trump filed several legal challenges claiming the election process was compromised and included allegations of fraud and other violations and misconduct. Several reports from mainstream media instantly reported those claims as “false” allegations. WHAT? Here is the separation of fact and opinion in the above example. The news (fact) alone is that Trump did indeed file such legal challenges. Inserting the word “false” crosses the line between news and opinion. Stating those legal challenges as false is reporting it as if the matter was already decided; it wasn’t. The matter was not heard by the courts, the evidence was not yet presented, and there was no way of knowing whether the allegations had merit or not. Yet the media crossed the once sacred boundary of mixing facts with conjecture and blatantly made news

themselves by stating the allegations were decidedly false when they were anything but decided. The allegations may prove to be false, but reporting them as such prematurely is opinion, nothing more.

This is not only dangerous for the sake of misleading people; it is extremely divisive. We see this ever-widening gap of division in our society. The separation of media by political stripe is one glaring example of this schism.

Today, media outlets are seen not so much for their integrity but by political affiliation. That is inherently disturbing. Let us remember that journalism and news programs are supposed to be unbiased and neutral reporters of fact.

There is little truth being presented if one news channel is known as left wing and another as right wing. Both, by virtue of being labeled as politically bent have demonstrated a mixing of facts with their own specific beliefs.

It is a disservice to our society to not have one venerable institution that reports facts without being painted with a specific brush, and that institution should be mainstream news and its accompanying journalists.

The damage of this division by political outlook causes opinion to be seen as fact, and facts themselves become forgotten or buried. When that happens, there is little solid foundation to draw your own conclusions without excessive influence. Some would call that propaganda!

Sadly, news programs of today have consistently become so bias and opinionated, the news itself becomes lost in a quagmire. Both left and right-wing programs are guilty of crossing the once revered line between news and personal beliefs.

Modern news programs are coming under increasingly negative criticism. Providing opinion within the purview of the newscast is one reason the criticism is justified...

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.

MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A13

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Farm practices may have altered the quality of our butter

The increased use of energy supplements is leading to harder butter that doesn’t soften at room temperature

By Sylvain Charlebois, Professor in Food Distribution and Policy - Dalhousie University

For months, thousands of AGRIMART Canadians have taken to social media saying that they’ve noticed that butter sold in Canada is harder and doesn’t get softer at room temperature.

Not all butter is harder but most is. Some people blame winter and the colder weather.

The truth is more troubling than that. Disturbing reports now point at practices on the farm that may have altered the quality of the butter we buy.

Since last summer, thousands of dairy farmers have been giving more energy supplements to their herd. Palm oil is given to cows. Sources suggest this has been going on for more than a decade, but the problem has become more apparent since August, when butter demand went up suddenly, forcing the industry to produce more dairy fat.

Palm oil given to dairy cows increases the saturated fat in milk compared to unsaturated fat, raising the melting point of butter. This explains why butter made from cows fed with palm oil remains difficult to spread at room temperature. This is the most plausible reason why some Canadian butter remains harder at room temperature.

Due to our supply management regime, farmers are under tremendous pressure to meet their quotas so they get paid.

The use of palm oil on supply-managed farms is the most probable cause because many specialty products, like organic butter and butter made from grass-fed cows, don’t appear to have been affected at all.

Palm oil has been used in dairy for at least a decade without consumers knowing. But since last summer, the practice has suddenly expanded to hundreds, if not thousands, of farms.

Demand for butter was up 12.4 per cent in Canada in 2020. Having more Canadians at home cooking up a storm has added stress on dairy production and, more specifically, on the production of butter fat.

Hard butter is now more noticeable because so many farms are participating in the practice. It’s believed that 30 to 35 per cent of Canadian dairy farmers are doing this to meet their lucrative production quotas. But nobody knows for sure, not even the Dairy Farmers of

THE

EXPRESS

Canada or the Canadian Dairy Commission. In fact, the Dairy Farmers of Canada is still turning a blind eye, even though suppliers, farmers and processors have now come forward admitting the problem.

Canadians may wonder why dairy farmers would ever use palm oil to increase fat production. Even though palmitic acid comes at a cost, it’s less expensive than adding cows to herds, which would substantially increase the cost of production. There’s nothing illegal about giving palm oil to dairy cows and nothing prevents farmers from doing this.

However, the impact on the end product at retail is incredibly noticeable to a growing number of Canadians.

And little research has been conducted on how giving palmitic acids to dairy cows could compromise the health of both animals and humans. What we do know is that palm oil may increase certain heart disease risk factors in some people.

The effects of palm oil production on the environment, health and lives of Indigenous people in different parts of the world are well documented and deeply concerning.

So given that dairy farmers’ Blue Cow is constantly reminding us that dairy products in Canada are among the best in the world, feeding cows palm oil is ethically questionable.

Complaints have been filed with processors and those then get filed with the dairy boards. The number of complaints is making the situation tricky, yet dairy boards have been unbelievably quiet on the issue.

This subject is obviously taboo in the industry, although many dairy farmers with a high sense of integrity are upset and want the practice to end immediately. Nobody in the industry wants to openly address the issue, at least not with the media.

Some boards like the British Columbia Milk Marketing Board released a statement in October about “non-foaming milk” and “free fatty acid.” It’s a subtle way of recognizing the issue. The statement is available for anyone to read but its highly technical nature may not have drawn much attention beyond the farming community.

Other boards have done the same, although much more discretely with internal memos.

We also know now that dairy processing executives have openly acknowledged the problem at industry meetings

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with hundreds of farmers in the room.

Palm oil can be detected in dairy fat but it requires time and effort. Some processers are apparently trying to develop technology to more easily detect palmitic acids in products they receive. Valacta in Quebec is apparently one of them and the technology could be ready in months.

Sources suggest dairy boards want to use the technology to discipline farmers, allowing manufacturers to reject sub-par butter fat in the interests of the industry and the public.

The industry is quite concerned about its angelic image and doesn’t want this story out in the open – but it is now.

Most dairy farmers want the practice to stop as soon as possible. Using palm oil on dairy farms compromises the quality of products Canadians love. It also breaches the moral contract the industry has with Canadians. Unlike other countries, milk is essentially a public good in Canada. Dairy farmers have exclusive government-sanctioned quotas that make it a privilege for the few to produce milk. And Canadian taxpayers have given $1.75 billion to the industry to assure continued access to wholesome dairy products.

The Dairy Farmers of Canada board only has itself to blame. Despite its dismal track record when it comes to transparency, it should have asked the federal government to ban these products from the market, or at least openly condemned the practice.

A step in the right direction would be to see supply-managed dairy farmers include Canadian-grown oils in their feed additives over imported palm oil. Instead, they’ve tried to protect their image at all cost. It’s so disappointing.

Not all butter is harder in Canada. And no one knows for sure which brands or products have been affected. All we know is that some butter – like organic butter and butter made with fat from grass-fed cows – have apparently not been affected by this scheme.

Buttergate is not what the industry needs, nor what Canadians deserve. Let’s hope the dairy industry can clean itself up before its moral contract with Canadians is permanently damaged.

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the agrifood analytics lab and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University.

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PAGE A14 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

New B.C.-based clinical simulation tech changing the landscape of medical education Larissa Kurz - Moose Jaw Express

For Dr. Karim Qayumi, his first experience as a medical student in a chaotic emergency room was a wake-up call — one that has prompted the creation of a new simulation technology that will change medical education for the better.

“When it comes to transferring theoretical knowledge into practice of medicine, we have always had difficulties doing that,” said Qayumi, a University of British Columbia surgical professor and now-retired cardiovascular surgeon. “I felt this difficulty when I was a medical student [when] I got to the emergency room and I realized that books didn’t teach me enough to deal with problems.”

Since that moment, Qayumi has been working to find a solution to bridge that gap between textbook education and clinical rotation programs for medical students — and he has finally found that solution in a new web-based simulation platform of his own creation called CyberPatient.

CyberPatient puts medical students in a simulated clinical setting with a digital patient, allowing them to sharpen their knowledge in a virtual space before encountering patients in an in-person setting.

Pulled from a diverse database of more than 120 real clinical cases, these virtual patients display symptoms that students must diagnose and treat accurately in real-time, including prescribing drug treatments and making surgical decisions. The online platform is interactive and animated, with an assessment tool identifying errors as they are made in order to give feedback that will help students build confidence in their treatment approach.

“The idea was to build a patient and a clinical environment in cyberspace, where a student can make all decisions, gain all competencies, without touching a real patient,” said Qayumi. “To make all the mistakes they can in a virtual environment, without consequences.”

The purpose of CyberPatient’s software technology is to make students apply what they’ve learned from their textbooks in a low-risk setting. The digital platform works to improve recall recognition memory, which then improves patient interaction.

“CyberPatient is based on the theory of transfer of learning [and so] we’re providing this environment for students to self-explore and improve their knowledge and experience,” said Qayumi. “So, it’s not just an education tool — it’s also about patient safety.”

It’s a unique new technology that, if widely utilized by medical programs, Qayumi feels will help produce more confident and capable clinicians focused on im-

UBC professor Dr. Karim Qayumi is the creator of a new virtual clinical training simulator called CyberPatient that is changing how medical students learn their symptom diagnosis skills. (supplied) proved patient care.

Creating CyberPatient: decades in the making The technology behind CyberPatient has been more than two decades in the making, as Qayumi first began imagining the idea in the late 80s as a series of medical books.

After being overwhelmed during his first clinical rotation medical student, Qayumi realized that there was a need for something more to help students hone their skills before being exposed to the fastpaced environment of patient care.

In the late 90s, Qayumi shifted his vision from books to creating a computer program, as he thought it would better emulate the real-life experience of clinical rotations.

A partnership with UBC’s department of surgery and support from the department head at that time, Dr. Richard Finley, led to the first prototype in the late 90s, created by Qayumi’s son Tarique.

“It was very primitive, but it proved the concept that yes, it was possible to do this,” said Qayumi.

A more advanced version of CyberPatient followed in 2000, garnering positive reviews from focus groups at UBC and in two institutions in Japan. At that time, the Internet’s speed, bandwidth and languages weren’t as advanced as the program needed them to be to mass-produce, so Qayumi and his team set to work refining the platform while they waited for the technological infrastructure to catch up with their vision.

That moment finally arrived in 2019, when CyberPatient launched worldwide in November. The new program was de-

CyberPatient uses interactive patient avatars to allow students to test their clinical skills in a low-risk environment, and is the only simulation platform on the market currently using this type of audio-visual engagement. (supplied)

veloped with help from the Centre for Digital Media and research grants from the National Research Council and the Industrial Research Assistance Program.

The development team’s original plan was to offer CyberPatient on a subscription basis, but instead the technology actually launched completely free to access — a decision made with the COVID-19 pandemic front of mind.

“As a Canadian company, we could not capitalize on a tragedy that humanity was having at the time,” said Qayumi. “But it has also been a huge help for us because we got an enormous amount of people into CyberPatient.”

Qayumi agreed that the pandemic’s circumstances have really helped CyberPatient break the barrier in terms of introducing his tech to the education sector, and piqued the interest of medical educators across the world. It also served as an informal beta test, allowing participants to provide feedback that has enhanced the platform with added features and functionalities.

CyberPatient’s digital premise means that in a world of reduced physical contact, medical students can still practice clinical skills without interacting with real patients or needing access to specialized equipment.

Over 300 institutions in 125 countries have signed up to use CyberPatient since its launch, and Qayumi is hoping that this initial success will catapult the technology into use in even more medical training programs in the future.

How CyberPatient is changing the future Qayumi has always envisioned CyberPatient as an advancement to support the core values of medical education delivery.

The digital platform is intended to revolutionize how medical students develop memory responses during treatment, by allowing them to learn from their mistakes on digital patients first.

Simulation programs aren’t a new concept in the world of medical training, said Qayumi, but CyberPatient does have a number of features that set it apart from other techniques currently in use.

The technology includes cases from a range of disciplines in one database, which are then presented using interactive animated avatars with an audio-visual platform. Other programs may focus on just one discipline or present cases strictly via text or by using non-animated images.

“Our platform is fully animated and fully provides a simulation, as far as technology allows. its way ahead of everybody

else, in respect to bringing in a simulated patient with interactivity,” said Qayumi.

Hands-on programs sometimes utilize mannequins with limited interactive functions or rely on live actors to pretend they are a patient experiencing symptoms.

But, as Qayumi explained, these types of methods are often restricted by time and location constraints, and sometimes even budget limits.

In comparing these methods, Qayumi said that CyberPatient offers a more accessible option at a much lower price tag than mannequins or actors, while still maintaining the interactive quality that makes both types of training simulations successful.

Patients are also more available on CyberPatient’s digital platform, meaning students are able to easily familiarize themselves with more different types of diagnoses, without potential roadblocks like waiting for real patients to appear.

“Learning the practical side of medical education is very inefficient,” said Qayumi. “The majority of conditions you want students to gain experience with often stay in that level of theory, never translate into practice, so [CyberPatient] is the solution we have proposed.”

CyberPatient also takes students through the entire process of clinical care, from the emergency room or doctor’s office visit through to recovery, for each case included in its database.

“Not a lot of platforms out there cover that whole thing. They cover maybe one part [of the process] or one area of medicine,” said Qayumi. “They don’t bring a blanket solution, from A to Z, for all diseases and that’s a major difference.”

There is even a cost-awareness aspect built into the software, prompting students to consider treatment solutions that may be less expensive but still equally effective, to promote a lower-cost approach.

“This is the only tool in the market that would train students for cost-awareness because as a student, we never think about how much it’s going to cost to do another X-ray or MRI, or keep a patient in hospital for another day,” said Qayumi. “But this program actually does bring cost awareness [into play] which also improves patient safety, reduces medical errors.”

In terms of assessment, CyberPatient’s intelligence system considers knowledge, time and cost as factors when judging a user’s performance, said Qayumi, which helps students address their strengths and weaknesses more effectively.

A study published in the British Journal of Medical Education in 2006 found that CyberPatient’s interactive delivery is more effective than textbook learning, especially for students who struggle with classroom-based learning.

A survey of students from Kazan Federal University in Tatarstan further confirmed the technology’s popularity.

“Ninety per cent [of students surveyed] believe CyberPatient has a big impact on them. They learn better. It was very intuitive. They could use it easily, and they like it very much,” said Qayumi.

Another study published in 2020 also showed that CyberPatient is as effective as the standardized patient method using actors, but is significantly less expensive and more cost efficient.

Looking ahead to the future The platform is only continuing to improve, said Qayumi, as developers are working on a number of goals to further expand CyberPatient’s technology in the future.

Since the free-to-access launch, the de-

MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A15

(Continued from previous page) velopment team has already received feedback from users that has led to big changes. This includes improvements that made the user interface more friendly, and an update to include international medical standards in addition to North American standards, to support the international community using the technology.

There has been more interest in the simulator from professors than was originally expected, which has led to an expansion of CyberPatient’s dashboard.

Since CyberPatient was initially envisioned as a student-centred tool, it was developed to be primarily utilized by students as a supplement to their other studies. But following the booming success during the free access period, developers have since introduced a learning management system that allows professors to choose what content their students are learning.

“Lots of universities came back to us and said, we want to be in control of the education environment,” said Qayumi. “That was one of the biggest innovations for CyberPatient.”

And even more new features are already in the works, said Qayumi, including integrating an AI-powered vocal component into the interface, which is being devel-

CyberPatient uses interactive patient avatars to allow students to test their clinical skills in a low-risk environment, and is the only simulation platform on the market currently using this type of audio-visual engagement. (supplied) oped in partnership with the National Research Council of Canada. The addition would round out the interactive nature of the program.

There are also plans to expand CyberPatient’s database to include training modules for nursing students, as well as an assessment method to measure practical skills for students entering the residency portion of their program, like communication with family or medical team members.

“Team training is another huge gap in medical education because we are all trained separately but when we come into the hospital, we have to work as a team, and that dynamic sometimes cre-

ates problems,” said Qayumi. “So we’re developing the technology to do that team training online.”

He is also working on developing partnerships with accreditation and regulatory bodies — such as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, American Association of Medical Colleges, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, and others — to provide CyberPatient as a tool to aid with the maintenance of competency for physicians, specifically in remote northern territories.

Qayumi said that although access to CyberPatient is limited to users with a computer, part of his goal is to keep the platform simple — meaning no extraneous equipment or programs necessary to utilize the technology.

“We are trying to be as simple as possible, as fast as possible and as less expensive as possible, to [make CyberPatient] reachable,” said Qayumi.

Qayumi, in support of UBC’s vision and millennial goals, is also dedicated to delivering his technology free of charge to developing nations, as part of the non-profit program through CanHealth International, a Vancouver-based UBC spin off charitable organization.

CyberPatient is already available free to medical institutions in Ethiopia, Sudan, Afghanistan and Nepal, as well as other

countries, as part of this initiative. Qayumi said he will continue to expand access to more countries and keep the technology as simple to use and as accessible as possible.

“We believe that equalization of education around the world will be able to bring positive change for all humanity,” said Qayumi.

Qayumi and his technology is also engaged in supporting the medical councils and regulatory bodies in developing countries, such as Nepal, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Sudan and Ethiopia, to name a few.

The cornerstone of Qayumi’s vision for CyberPatient is to improve accessibility, and so he hopes to see more institutions and practitioners utilizing this new platform to continue improving the educational experience in the medical field.

“CyberPatient is not only useful for students but also supports the faculty,” said Qayumi. “We spend less time for the same educational costs and actually improve the educational process, make it easier [for students].”

“In addition, universities will benefit from CyberPatient by replacing expensive methods of teaching and assessment for objective structured clinical examination with CyberPatient,” said Qayumi.

To learn more about CyberPatient, visit cyberpatient.ca.

Moose Jaw Food Bank purchases new building for long-awaited expansion Larissa Kurz - Moose Jaw Express

The Moose Jaw & District Food Bank is excited to finally announce that its search for a new building is finally over, as the non-profit organization has found and purchased a property that will become its next home.

“We didn’t expect it to take a whole year to materialize, but we are really excited to announce that we have finally purchased a forever home for the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank,” said Daycee Richardson, chair for the food bank.

The new building is an empty warehouse located at 270 Fairford Street West — just across the street from the food bank’s current building — and features a 4,000 square foot warehouse with loading docks, adjoining office space and room for expansion.

The idea of finding a new, larger location has been in the works for a long time, said Richardson, although the need for more space became much more urgent when COVID-19 began complicating the food bank’s operations.

Due to the ongoing restrictions on physical distancing, the food bank has been serving clients outdoors in their current location, which was difficult throughout the winter months. It has also had to drastically reduce the number of volunteers allowed to work in the building at one time, also lending stress to the food bank’s usual operations.

This new location will provide the food bank with the elbow room it needs to continue serving the community with its best service — and even expand its programming in the future.

“We really see it as a great season for us, to put a large investment into what will be long-term service for the community in the area of food security, so it's exciting,” said Richardson. “And one of the exciting things about this property is that it has been standing empty for almost 20 years, and now we have the chance to revitalize that little corner of the neighbourhood.”

Richardson shared that the new building will need some construction work before the food bank can fully move in, including updates to the warehouse like the installation of a walk-in fridge and cooler.

Also on the to-do list is a complete “gut and redo” of the attached office space, to better accommodate food bank staff, as well as the construction of a 1,200 square foot addition to create a large lobby for client interaction.

“We are really planning to design our space to maximize our partnership with volunteers, and we are also planning a very bright and welcoming indoor space for clients that will be suitable whether they have to social distance or not,” said Richardson.

When the food bank first began looking for a new building space over a year ago, Richardson said the goal was to find a place that would need minor renovations before the non-profit could move in. But after looking for so long for a location close to downtown with all their

The Moose Jaw & District Food Bank is moving across Fairford Street West and into a new building, which offers more space and opportunity for the organization. (photo by Larissa Kurz) needed amenities, they decided to take on the additional construction projects to finalize their search.

“We did not foresee it taking this long [but] I think in the end, this will be a really wonderful place for us to meet clients and also be able to expand services down the road,” said Richardson.

The food bank held a wildly successful fundraising campaign this past summer to help with the purchase of a new building, which hit the food bank’s initial goal and soared beyond to raise an impressive total of over $118,280 for the project.

Richardson said these funds are covering the cost of the property and the first two phases of construction at the new building — preparing the warehouse and renovating the existing office space.

Constructing an addition on the building to create a large lobby space will be phase three, she continued, and may require a little more fundraising in the future.

But despite the added steps to the project, Richardson said everyone at the food bank is excited to have a new and improved location in their sights.

“We’re very excited about the possibility to not just fit into an existing space, but to build the space to work for us,” said Richardson. “It's really going to be our space

AGM ANNUAL

GENERAL

MEETING

The Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery will be hosting it’s Annual General Meeting for its members:

that’s a great place for volunteers to work, which has been part of the struggle of the last year.”

The food bank is expecting to be in its new location very soon, provided the first two phases of their building renovations go smoothly.

“We don’t anticipate everything will be one hundred per cent finished before we start operating from that premise, [but] we’re hoping to be functioning out of that space sometime in late spring,” said Richardson.

Work on the lobby addition will hopefully be completed by the end of summer, in time to welcome clients inside the building when the colder temperatures return.

With likely many more fundraising campaigns in the future, Richardson thanked the community for its ongoing support of the food bank over the last several decades.

“We started with the generosity of the community in the ‘80s, and the community continues to support us very generously, so we're very grateful for that,” said Richardson. “We wouldn’t have been able to come this far without Moose Jaw’s support, and we’re excited to finally get to share some of the product of that generosity.”

Updates on the transition to the new location will be shared on the food bank’s Facebook page, said Richardson, along with any upcoming ways people can volunteer or offer support to the project.

Humane Society

Pet of the Month

Autumn

Autumn came into our care on Halloween night. She was in the process of giving birth to a litter of kittens. After a stay in one of our loving foster homes and seeing her babes all adopted into loving homes themselves, this girl is ready for her turn in the spotlight! Autumn is not fond of dogs, and hisses at other Book Sto re cats, but we think if the introduction Now Open b was slow she may learn to accept Appointm y ent! another cat. She is very affectionate and loves people and attention. She is still very playful too!

Autumn is spayed, started on her vaccination schedule and micro-chipped.

Her adoption fee is $50. If you are interested in adopting Autumn please go to our website at www.mjhs.ca and click the Adopt tab, then Adoptable Animals, scroll down to the photos of our adoptable pets.

For more info contact the Humane Society (306)692-1517 www.mjhs.ca

MARCH 25, 2021 7:00 PM / ZOOM This event will include: • Review of the gallery’s activities in 2020 • Overview of the financial picture during 2020 • Election of new board members • Bylaw Revisions Visit our website for the link, as well as our annual report and details of the proposed bylaw changes. mjmag.ca/agm

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PAGE A16 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Ukrainian war orphans receiving milk thanks to Moose Jaw’s man connection to area Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

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Ongoing fighting in eastern Ukraine has killed thousands of people since 2014 and created many orphans, but a Moose Javian’s connection to the area has ensured that those children are not forgotten.

Tensions in Ukraine began in March 2014, after Russia invaded Ukraine’s Crimea region and then formally annexed the peninsula after a disputed local referendum occurred, the Council on Foreign Relations website explained. The crisis heightened ethnic divisions, and two months later, pro-Russian separatists — backed by the Russian military — in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions held a referendum to declare independence from Ukraine.

Fighting between government forces and separatists has killed about 10,300 civilians and military personnel, while 24,000 people have been injured, the website added.

A friendly hand Around June 2017, the Russian American Community Services Association of San Francisco (RACSsf) heard that orphaned children in the Lugansk — also called Luhansk — region lacked milk supplies, explained director Nick Buick. He also learned that a friend on the East Coast had sent money overseas to purchase dairy for the kids.

Touched by the children’s plight, Buick sent money through his friend so more milk could be purchased. However, Buick’s friend later indicated that his ability to send money had been blocked, so the director should stop sending funds.

The Moose Jaw connection Time passed before Moose Jaw resident Robert Thomas contacted Buick and asked for help sending money to a friend in the Lugansk area. Thomas was unable to do it himself since companies such as Western Union were not operating there.

“I took the challenge and tried to find a way to get the money to Robert’s friend, and I was successful,” said Buick.

“Meanwhile, I found an orphanage there on the very front line of the warfare … that was a half a kilometre away from the ‘cease-fire line’ if there is such a thing.

And we started sending them milk money; we found a way to get it there. So, we’ve been doing that ever since.”

Healthy whole milk The Ukrainian government provides some help to the school but not nearly enough, said Buick. The government provides one- and two-per-cent milk three times a week, while his organization provides whole milk every day.

“The normal ration for a child … (is) a pint of milk a day … whole milk is advisable because you need the butterfat content,” he continued. “It costs us $700 a month to provide the milk.”

Buick was hesitant to say how much money his organization had sent since 2017.

However, he noted that RACSsf sends over US$1,000 a month to the orphanage.

‘Tip of the iceberg’ Providing milk was only the “tip of the iceberg” for what those children needed, Buick said. The orphanage sends weekly pictures of the children drinking milk; one picture showed a youth wearing two left shoes. Buick also learned that they needed quality blankets, towels and bedsheets, so he ensured that money went to purchase those supplies.

Additionally, RACSsf purchased almost 20 mattresses, dozens of windows, and a large commercial vegetable chopper.

“When you’re feeding 200 people four times a day, you can’t use a knife and fork,” Buick added.

RACSsf has also sent funds to help renovate the orphanage, which is similar to a boarding school. There are almost 200 students who attend Monday to Friday, while 47 orphans live there permanently.

Help from the locals The American non-profit has helped replace almost everything within the building during the past four years. One project left is to replace the furnace and heating system in the main building where the orphans sleep.

Local Ukrainians complete all the renovations for RACSsf. Buick has never been to the orphanage but has a friend who sends regular updates about the school; every report has been positive, he said. It’s unfeasible for him to travel there since it would cost US$5,000 and take almost 23 hours by air, vehicle and foot to get there.

The orphanage has been shelled many times since fighting erupted in 2014.

However, Buick indicated that the building was constructed so well that it can take the occasional shelling.

“The American expression we’ve used for a hundred years: it’s built like a brick s---house,” he chuckled. “The (brick) buildings are pretty solid.”

Donations help Moose Javians interested in helping the Russian American Community Services Association provide milk to orphans can donate at racssf.org or via PayPal. Buick noted that every dollar RACSsf receives goes to purchasing dairy; a friend of the organization pays the fees that PayPal takes.

“We do our best,” he added. “We try to keep everybody happy.”

MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A17

Police seek suspects after another break-in at South Hill Fine Foods Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express For the second time in less than a month, South Hill Fine Foods has been the target of a major break-in attempt.

On the morning of March 2 at approximately 5:15 a.m., suspects driving what is believed to be a Ford Escape used the vehicle to breach the doors of the local grocery store and once inside, attempted to remove a cash machine from the premises.

Video posted on Facebook by store general manager Perry Chambers showed an individual with tie down straps enter the building and approach the ATM before suddenly running to the vehicle and making the escape.

The reason? The business alarm had been triggered and staff

were on site and seen approaching the doors as the vehicle sped away.

It marks the third intrusion on the business in just over a year.

In early January 2020, hackers breached the stores computer systems and caused enough damage to leave South Hill Fine Foods closed for a week. Then, on Feb. 5 of this year, thieves attempted a similar break-in but were unable to remove the machines and ran with nothing for their efforts.

Anyone with more information is asked to contact CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or the Moose Jaw Police Service at 306-694-7600.

A suspect in Tuesday morning’s breakin at South Hill Fine Foods attempts to steal an ATM machine.

Man wanted on attempted Formurder & robbery charges arrested Moose Jaw Express

A man wanted for attempted murder and armed robbery stemming from an incident on Feb. 26 has been taken into custody by the Moose Jaw Police Service.

The MJPS announced on March 4that Brandon Gariepy had been safely taken into police custody and will appear in court.

The arrest stemmed from an incident where police responded to a possible assault on 0 block of Stadacona West. No victim or witnesses were located during the initial police response, but further investigation by the Pa-

trol Officers and members of the Criminal Investigation Section lead to the identity of an adult male victim who sustained serious head injuries that resulted in medical attention at the Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital.

The investigation also lead to the execution of a search warrant in the 0 Block of Stadacona Street West where further evidence of the offence was located and seized by police.

At that time, Kaylin Fletcher and Jason Fudge were arrested and charged for Attempted Murder, Robbery, and

Provincial Court

Possession of a Controlled Substance (Crystal Meth).

Both appeared in court on March 2, and an arrest warrant was issued for Gariepy.

Gariepy was featured in the MJPS Facebook feature warrant prior to his arrest, and the police offered their appreciation for the public's assistance in sharing their social media posts, providing information and submitting anonymous Crime Stoppers tips to ensure the community's safety.

The Provincial Court section holds articles that have been written without prejudice with the information that has been presented in a public court of appeal available to the media and public.

Residents accused of attempted murder, robbery make first court appearance Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Accused of attempted murder, robbery, and possession of a controlled substance (crystal meth), Kaylin Fletcher and Jason Fudge appeared in provincial court on March 2, with Fletcher released on conditions and Fudge remanded back to jail.

Fletcher, 22, had her allegations adjourned to March 22, while Fudge, 33, had his allegations adjourned for a bail hearing on March 5.

The Moose Jaw Police Service arrested the two residents on Feb. 26, after officers responded to a possible assault

on the 0 block of Stadacona Street West, a news release explained.

Members were initially unable to locate a victim or witnesses, but further investigation by officers and the Criminal Investigation Section led to an adult male victim with serious head injuries, which required medical attention at the Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital.

The man has since been released and is expected to make a full recovery.

The investigation also led to the execution of a search

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warrant on that same block of Stadacona Street West, where officers found and seized further evidence of the offence, the news release continued. Police arrested Fletcher and Fudge and laid charges against them, while a warrant was issued for Brandon Gariepy on charges of attempted murder and robbery.

Police ask anyone with information on Gariepy’s whereabouts to contact the Moose Jaw Police Service at 306694-7600 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

PAGE A18 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

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ACROSS 1. Church recesses 6. Rabbit 10. Male turkeys 14. Angry 15. District 16. Brother of Jacob 17. Tycoon 18. Pins 19. Small brook 20. Party pooper 22. Genuine 23. Grin 24. Beset 25. Dry 29. Stretchable 31. An impressive array 33. Sandstorm 37. Exertion 38. Foursome 39. Fables 41. Creep 42. Protein in hair and nails 44. Amazes 45. Praises 48. On the up and up 50. Type of sword 51. Subduing

56. Stringed instrument 57. Sexual assault 58. Hearing-related 59. Skin disease 60. How old we are 61. Incline 62. Ale 63. Dregs 64. Anxious

26. Flat float 27. Data 28. Usher 30. Historic ship 32. Jimmies 34. A pouch in some birds 35. Concern 36. Probabilities 40. Collect discarded material 41. Wander 43. A Native American tent 45. Rehabilitation 46. Quickly 47. French science-fiction writer 49. Browned bread 51. By mouth 52. Stubborn beast 53. Press 54. Short sleeps 55. Delight

DOWN 1. Objectives 2. Brace 3. Palm starch 4. Decorative case 5. Trades 6. Jubilantly 7. Ring around the nipple 8. Lapse 9. Where the sun rises 10. Hard unglazed brownish-red earthenware 11. Willow 12. Of the cheekbone 13. Tarnish 21. Ore refinery Daily Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad, March 5 24. Employs 25. Mimics

S U D O K U Sudoku #5 - Challenging

WORDSEARCH Can you find the hidden words? They may be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, forwards or backwards.

4 8 7

2 6 7 1

Sudoku #7 - Tough 8 7 9 6 4 2 3 6 1 3 9 7 5 8 2 5 4 3 1 8 9 9 3 1 4 2 7 5 5 4 8 1 6 9 7 7 6 2 5 8 3 1 3 9 6 7 5 4 2 1 8 5 2 9 6 4 4 2 7 8 3 1 6

1 5 4 2 7 6 6 8 2 3 9 4 8 1 3 7 5 9

9 4 1 2

Sudoku #5 - Challenging 7 1 2 9 4 6 3 8 4 8 9 3 5 2 7 1 3 5 6 7 1 8 2 9 5 7 4 8 2 3 9 6 8 2 1 4 6 9 5 7 6 9 3 1 7 5 8 4 9 4 5 6 3 7 1 2 3 8 2 9 4 6 5 6 7 5 8 1 4 3

9

5 6 9 4

2

3 4 6 9 1 4 3 7 1 2 5 7 4

© 2021 KrazyDad.com

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 thru 9.

7

1 3 2 8

If you use logic you can solve the puzzle without guesswork.

Need a little help? The hints page shows a logical order to solve the puzzle.

Use it to identify the next square you should solve. Or use the answers page if you really get stuck.

4

6 5

Sudoku #8 - Super Tough 9 2 7 6 3 1 8 5 4 6 3 4 2 8 5 1 7 9 1 5 8 9 7 4 6 2 3 3 6 1 4 2 7 5 9 8 7 8 2 3 5 9 4 1 6 5 4 9 8 1 6 2 3 7 8 9 3 1 6 2 7 4 5 2 7 6 5 4 3 9 8 1 4 1 5 7 9 8 3 6 2 Sudoku #6 - Challenging 8 3 5 6 1 2 9 7 9 2 4 5 8 7 6 1 1 6 7 3 9 4 8 2 7 4 9 1 2 6 3 5 6 1 2 8 5 3 4 9 5 8 3 4 7 9 1 6 3 5 8 2 6 1 7 4 2 9 1 7 4 8 5 3 4 7 6 9 3 5 2 8

1

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BALONEY, BREAK, CANOPY, CAUSE, CHOOSE, CLEAT, COUNT, CRANE, DEATH, DELIVERY, DIET, ENACTED, ENDED, EVIDENCE, GARDEN, GRILL, HARES, HARSH, LEAVE, LUST, NONE, NOOSE, OUNCE, PENGUIN, PERCH, POLITICAL, ROTOR, RUFFLE, SEAL, SECT, SIREN, SOURCE, STRAIN, STRENUOUS, TASTE, TWIRL, UNEVEN, VISE, WHEEL

T A L

Puzzle Solutions

-Don Marquis

Can you find and circle all of these types of dances? z rn jaz mode om Native ro tap ll a b Americ F an line dance Mexic O M an Ha t Danc L M B D Z U Q O E H e K E X I C A N H A T D A N C E L D Y N O L H H Y R J D Irish Jig folk square K U I O L P A Q U H J F N A T I V E A M E R I C A N O O I N E D A N C E E W I R I S H J I G C C B N P P O U U Y H K macarena C N J U I E Z Z A J N R E D O M S D F G T Y I N J F H H Q K Y J I E E R Z T L A W C H Q W I B A L L R O O M O T S S Q D F L waltz S U Y Q J D F J S A P Y R T I Q H Everyone dances! Once we stop, our dance is gone forever. Or is it? We cannot put it on a shelf S A H I A N E R A C A M W to look at or in a box to give to someone else, but we can keep it in our memories and teach it to others.

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MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A19

Congratulations New Parents!

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of Moose Jaw February 28, 2021, 5:43 pm Female 9lbs, 15oz

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From The Kitchen

T i m e to p rep a re m e a l fo r St. Pat r i c k’s D ay

By Joyce Walter For Moose Jaw Express

It will soon be time again to dig out those albums and CDs featuring favourite Irish music, the time to enjoy the lively, soulful and even sentimental melodies that are second nature to the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Along with music, don’t forget to wear something green in acknowledgement of the Emerald Isle, and try preparing some traditional Irish food at home, or order from a restaurant that is featuring Irish dishes.

This week’s recipes suggest two items that might be found at a traditional Irish cerebration. And don’t forget to look for a four-leaf clover and the gold at the end of the rainbow.

An Irish blessing for you: “May you have warm winds on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night and a smooth road all the way to your door.” Happy St. Patrick’s Day. •••

Guinness Shepherd’s Pie

1 lb. ground lamb 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 clove garlic, very finely chopped 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced 2 tsps. fresh thyme leaves 1/2 cup Guinness Extra Stout 1 tbsp. tomato paste 1 leek, halved lengthwise and sliced salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp. melted butter Potato Topping: 1 1/2 lbs. Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 tbsps. butter 1/4 cup cream 1/4 cup milk, plus more as needed white pepper 1 egg yolk Place the potatoes in a saucepan along with 1 tsp. of salt. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender, 10-12 minutes. Drain then return the potatoes to the pot and return to heat long enough to allow any water to evaporate.

Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Add the butter, cream and milk and mash together. Season to taste with salt and white pepper, then add egg yolk. Use an electric mixer on medium and whip until light and fluffy, adding small amounts of milk for a smooth consistency. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and butter a deep 9 inch pie plate.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.

Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the ground lamb and season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until nicely browned, 6-8 minutes.

Drain fat from pan, lower heat to medium and add carrots and thyme. Cover and cook about 5 minutes until carrots are tender.

Stir in the Guinness, raise the heat to medium-high and cook until about half the liquid has evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and leeks and cook about 2 minutes until leeks are tender and mixture has thickened.

Transfer the meat mixture to the pie plate and spoon the potatoes over the meat. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the potatoes to the edge. Brush with melted butter.

Bake for 25 minutes or until potatoes develop a pale golden crust. Allow to stand 5 minutes before serving.

•••

Irish Kiss

3/4 oz. Irish whiskey 1/2 oz. Peach Schnapps 4 oz. Ginger Ale 2 oz. orange juice Mix in a large glass, add ice and enjoy. To make a frothier drink, blend liquids in a blender, then add ice and serve.

Makes one drink. Cool in refrigerator before serving.

Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net

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PAGE A20 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

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MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A21

Editor’s Note: Earlier this year, a resident of Moose Jaw read an article that appeared in Maclean’s magazine published on May 1, 1951 edition.

It is titled, Moose Jaw: Playboy of the Prairies, written by George Hillyard Robertson.

He enjoyed the read very much and thought it would be great for Moose Jaw readers today to look back on Moose Jaw’s vibrant history.

As the layout and information is exactly as it appears in the original published version in Maclean’s, May 1, 1951 edition, we have

permission to publish it as so. Unfortunately, we could not publish the whole article in this edition all together but have published it over three issues, with this being the last of the three to complete the article.

PART 3

PAGE A22 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

LETTER TO THE

EDITOR

Guidelines for Submitting Letters to the Editor:

Due to space allotment in Moose Jaw Express for free letters to the editor, we find it necessary to establish some guidelines in submissions that will be in effect as of March 15, 2021.

• All letters to the editor submitted to the Moose Jaw Express newspaper should not exceed 800 words, although they can be much longer to be included in our online daily MooseJawToday.com . In this case, we reserve the right to edit them accordingly.

• A full name and contact information will need to be included with each sub-

mission for verification.

•Only the name will be included in publication with the letter as the contributor.

Send your letters to the editor to: letters@mjvexpress.com or 888-241-5291

All columns, letters to the editor and editorials are solely the personal opinions of the writers themselves and not necessarily the opinions of The Moose Jaw Express.

Re: Being Proud of Keeping our City Clean

By Michel Labonte

As we know, our Mayor brought forward a motion that would see the creation of a advisory committee that will focus on creating events to pick up the trash that keep showing up in our town. Sadly enough, we didn’t hear a word from our elected official and neither from our administration about how to stop some of our citizen from littering our city and park in the first place.

So far, our mayor and 4 city councillors have given the administration the task to define the structure and the role of this new committee. Council will receive a report of their suggestion.

When we analyze what kind of trash our own citizens dump in our city streets and parks, we find out very quickly that all that trash is basically composed of lots of…empty drinking cup of all kinds, from coffee cups to Slurpees and soft drinks (with straw or not). We also find lots of Paper & plastic bags & cardboard boxes of all size that come from customers who bought their products mostly from all our fast food industry & convenient stores. Trash also comes at times from all the type of businesses we have.

I have seen trash laying around in the Peacock parking lots.

For two years I have ask the Phoenix school on 4th Ave E to put garbage containers outside so their students have a place to put their leftovers instead of throwing them in our old hospital property. That trash gets carried away all over the place by the wind. There is still no garbage container put outside. One day as we were taking our walk, I ask some teenager to pick up the garbage they just had thrown. The response I got was, “If you don’t like it pick it up yourself.”

I even asked city administration to put garbage bins at different places and to empty those left full for too long. I did stop a van to let them know that they shouldn’t have thrown a Tim Horton coffee cup on the street; there were two children in that van. I even tried to stop someone who had just emptied the ashtray from his truck on the street as he was driving by on the Athabasca underpass. I have also asked many people to stop throwing their single butts on the ground.

At one point, I asked city administration to make sure that the garbage at their garage on 3rd Ave. E that our Crescent Park worker uses doesn’t end up being blown by the wind as well. A few years ago, I even asked twice a Crescent Park student-worker to take her rake & take out a plastic bag stuck in a tree. This summer we could still see pieces of that plastic bag still hanging there.

And of course, there is trash that comes from some of our residential garbage and recycling bins that were not properly secured. The same can be said in regard to some of our business garbage containers. There is also stuff that at times

come out from all kinds of vehicles that could be avoided.

Now we even see lots of face masks being dumped everywhere on the ground. What a shame.

Sadly enough, we all know that lots of that trash will end up in the river and trees as the rain and wind will carry them everywhere. We all know the damage that all that garbage will do to our ecosystem.

Even though we are talking about keeping our city clean of trash and to be proud of it, let’s not forget that keeping our city clean also involves the discussion about our air and water pollution.

We all know how much the emission of diesel fumes, in particular, and gas, as well as others odours are all affecting our health and the cleanliness of our town. There is also farming and mining practices that may cause pollution to our fragile rivers and to our ecosystem to consider. Let’s not forget also the sulphuric acid that is created when we burn natural gas, among other things. We also need to talk about those dogs owners who let their pets bark for long period of time; very unpleasant.

We all understand that they are things that may be difficult to change right now but I just want to remind people that those phenomena are here & we need to take them into consideration for our future.

Hoping to make our city clean is an idea that has been around for a very long time and it’s still for sure a very noble goal but personally, I don’t believe that we need to create another administrative bureaucracy like an advisory committee to organize events to collect trash like some want to do.

We already do that, including events to collect invasive plants, as well as administration organizing events where citizens are asked to come help to cut and prune trees. Sadly enough, administration supported by past council want us to sign a waver so the city would not be responsible if we hurt our self or if we die while doing that kind of work for the city.

Nice way to show how city hall cares for us.

Now I am not part of any committee, I am just as a taxpayer, a co-owner of this corporation we call Moose Jaw, and here are some free suggestions in regard to what we could do right now to get to the root cause of our trash problem without having to create any new committee to collect trash.

[Campaigns could be organized] where all the fast food and convenience stores would advertise to their customers the need for them to dispose of their food and drink containers the right way. (They could print it on their packaging?)

We as citizens, neighbours, teachers, parents, students & religious groups should have a very serious discussion with ourselves and with each other about this important subject

of caring for our city.

Our Mayor could use [media opportunities] to talk about those citizen of all ages who may have forgotten how to behave properly when it comes to disposing their unwanted leftovers.

Our communication manager could have an honest discussion with our city workers and with the community about all that on their [talk platform].

Our administration could perhaps put more garbage cans in parks and on streets where there are lots of people that walk those street with often a drink or some kind of food in their hand.

[All of our media outlets] could once in a while invite people to care about their trash properly.

Another very important aspect of keeping our City clean is being careful about the kind of thoughts we create in our head and the words we use to express our views. I believe that none of us truly wants to hurt anyone or be hurt. We all have some good and bad conditioning and habits to deal with when it come to the way we act and share our view. I know for myself that I have hurt lots people with harsh words over time and I am getting better at being kind and at apologizing to those I cause pain.

I like to think that this idea of creating a new committee to keep our city clean has nothing to do with some people wanting to make a PR move to show how good and proud they are about keeping our city clean. That would surely go against the “Value and Shared Sense of Purpose “that our past city council voted 6 to 1 to implement. The mantra, “Leave your ego at the door before entering city hall “is, as we know, part of this new city hall holy book of conduct that was created not too long ago.

I personally hope that City Council will change their mind and not implement this idea of a new committee. They should receive & file the suggestion that administration will present to them in regard to this new committee. I don’t think we need more bureaucratic red tape.

If any one from city hall or from the public got an inspiration for a project about anything they can contact administration or Council anytime & city hall can contact any group or citizen as they wish.

Thanks for having taken the time to ear me out, Michel Labonte The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.

Crystal meth committee wants input from residents, students Moose Jaw Express staff

The Moose Jaw Crystal Meth Strategy Committee is kicking off its “Spread the Word on Meth” awareness campaign and is inviting residents and youths to participate in the initiative.

The committee wants residents to spend some time completing a survey about how much they know about crystal meth. The survey closes on Tuesday, March 30 and is found at surveymonkey.com/r/BT28YNN?Parent=[Parent_value.

Residents are also invited to join the Facebook group “Moose Jaw Crystal Meth Strategy Committee” to stay updated on its activities and initiatives. One document the group wants residents to know about is a fact sheet about what crystal meth does to a person. The fact sheet

can be found at rqhealth.ca.

The committee plans to disseminate information about crystal meth each month through the media and schools and hold contests and draws for young people to ensure they understand how harmful this drug is.

For March, the group seeks a logo design for the “Spread the Word on Meth” campaign and is inviting young artists between 12 and 19 to submit their hand-drawn or graphic-designed entry. The winning entry will receive a gift certificate of $150, as well as the honour of having the design put on a fridge magnet that will be distributed to students later this year.

Youths can submit their entries to mjcmsc2021@gmail. com with a picture of the design and their name, age,

phone number, and email.

The content ends on March 30.

Another initiative Moose Jaw Crystal Meth Strategy Committee has in the works is to have Shaw Communications film a video in March that features the Moose Jaw Police Service and a person who has previously been involved with crystal meth and is now in recovery. The group plans to launch the video in May with a special event.

For more about the awareness campaign, email mjcmsc2021@gmail.com or contact Mary Lee Booth at 306630-2056.

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MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A23

LETTER TO THE

EDITOR

Guidelines for Submitting Letters to the Editor:

Due to space allotment in Moose Jaw Express for free letters to the editor, we find it necessary to establish some guidelines in submissions that will be in effect as of March 15, 2021.

• All letters to the editor submitted to the Moose Jaw Express newspaper should not exceed 800 words, although they can be much longer to be included in our online daily MooseJawToday.com . In this case, we reserve the right to edit them accordingly.

• A full name and contact information will need to be included with each sub-

mission for verification.

•Only the name will be included in publication with the letter as the contributor.

Send your letters to the editor to: letters@mjvexpress.com or 888-241-5291

All columns, letters to the editor and editorials are solely the personal opinions of the writers themselves and not necessarily the opinions of The Moose Jaw Express.

Re: Wrong Historical Reference to Thatcher’s Hardware in 2001 Publication; corrected submission

by Dr. Richard (Rick) Thatcher

In doing some research for a book that includes references to River Street in Moose Jaw, I came across an inappropriate reference in a volume of articles about the history of Moose Jaw. The article appeared in a book entitled Moose Jaw: People, Places and History, a publication edited and, apparently, primarily written by John Larson and Maurice Richard Libby, published in 2001. I was enjoying my read until I came upon a reference to a man who might have been mistakenly identified by a reader as belonging to my grandfather, the owner of Moose Jaw Hardware. Quite frankly, I was outraged by that reference.

NOTE: The awkward layout of the book, including the table of contents and the positioning of an inserted article left the impression that a man named Don Kossick was responsible for the words at issue. It was apparently not Kossick who wrote them but one or both of the editors. For this mistaken attribution I apologize, but in my own defense, I did reach out to Kossick via e-mail several times but received no response. If for some reason he did not receive them, then the victimization in this entire matter is compounded—and I am sincerely sorry for it.

The intent of my article remains the same, however. In an unnecessary and factually inaccurate, out of context insertion to a chapter on “The Dirty Thirties,” the writer (s) included a third hand recollection (a memory of a man’s father) that suggested the owner of the store had deliberately refused to pay the store’s share of some work his father had carried out.

The man was said to have hauled furnace ashes away from the store in a dray on the basis of an understanding that participating merchants in a work relief program would cost-share payments for the work with the City of Moose Jaw (presumably funded by the federal government). I would have just ignored this reference but given the fact that histories of the city are very rare, the article leaves a sullied impression of the owner of the hardware in question that will likely stand for several generations.

By the way, full disclosure: this letter is submitted by a lifetime “left social democrat” and frequent social activist, so please don’t dismiss it as a defensive volley from a recalcitrant right wing ideologue.

The entry at issue makes a hearsay reference to an “old man” named Walter, who was deemed to be the owner of the store and the “father of Ross Thatcher,” who was at one time a social democrat and later the Liberal Premier of Saskatchewan.

At the time that the relief program was in effect, however, the owner of the store was not an old man, as stated in the recollection. Nor was his name “Walter,” as implied in the book. It was “Wilbert” and his nickname, which flowed from that proper name, was “Billy.”

Some sober second thought and editorial competence would never have allowed the reference at issue to be published. It was, after all, weak hearsay, lacked any triangulation for con-

text, and created a sullied reputation that will survive for many years. After all, there are no other popular histories of Moose Jaw, at least that I am aware of.

While the article made reference to a man who is long since deceased, fact checking with surviving family members or others who may have once been employed in the store at the time should surely have been undertaken.

Moose Jaw Hardware (sometimes referred to as “Thatcher’s Hardware”” was in its time the second largest retail store in Moose Jaw, second only to Eaton’s for many years. Until it closed in 1959-60, it offered a variety of products for sale, including not only an abundance of hardware items for farmers in the area and home renovators, paint and paint brushes, kitchen appliances, chinaware, beds and furniture, as well as toys, sports equipment and the latest CCM bicycles. It provided much of southern Saskatchewan with their first and second “automatic” washing machines and dishwashers, and their first electric and gasoline fuelled lawn mowers.

The hardware store occupied three floors of a building on River Street and, as I recall, approximately 9,000 sq. ft, of floor space. It was the anchor outlet for one of the first hardware chains in western Canada. There were other outlets in small towns in southern Saskatchewan, two in Moose Jaw (i.e., a smaller one on Main Street called the “Electric Hardware,” which I think was the first of the two stores in Moose Jaw) and two quite substantial stores, one in Regina and one in Saskatoon).

By my rough estimate, over its lifetime, the chain created employment for well over a hundred full-time employees and perhaps as many part-time and casual workers. Given its significance to the commerce of the area and its local and domestic origins, I do find it somewhat surprising that it has never been featured in historical pieces on the city. The same disregard was suffered by several other local businesses in the city, including Joyners on Main Street.

My grandfather was a frugal, careful and clever businessman, not given to ostentation. He had a clear vision of what he wanted to accomplish and the way that business should be run. He was also community minded and participated in a variety of local service projects in Moose Jaw, including through partnerships in relief programs. Not a vociferous man politically, he did have strong ideas about the importance of individual hard work and industry in a developing economy and was wary of competition to individual businesses from co-ops and governments. However, he was also strident in his views about the excesses of right wing zealotry. For this reason, he named the building in which he located Moose Jaw Hardware the “Eden Block” as a namesake reference to Sir Anthony Eden, the cabinet minister and , for a short, incomplete term, the British Prime Minster who aggressively warned against any alliance with Hitler in the years prior to World War II. Like many owners of small and medium sized businesses, Wilbert came to deeply regret some of those intrusions, such as several requests for support of sports teams which, as it

turned out, did not exist, several left wing organizations and right wing organizations of brief duration seeking membership signatures. He carelessly signed up for some of them in order to rid the store of several persistent campaigners for extremist causes. Wilbert also actively supported his son Ross’s support for labour during his city council years, as well as during his years with the CCF in the Federal Parliament.

By the way, the Moose Jaw Hardware was relatively successful, even during the Depression, a feat that was rare for small businesses at the time. That success could not have been achieved by an entrepreneur who was careless in managing his reputation with customers, employees and part-time workers. Anything like cheating a man on a work relief program would have, metaphorically speaking, circulated about the city at the speed of light. Let’s face it, Moose Jaw was a very small city at the time. The reputation of business owners was key to their success.

The Thatcher family name has been subjected to a continuing blanket of suspicions and insults associated with things that almost all the descendants of Wilbert Thatcher had nothing to do: neither the politics of my uncle, Ross, especially his misguided challenge to Medicare, nor the tragedy implicating his son Colin , who was convicted of murdering his wife Joanne.

Frankly, we are so very tired of being considered in negative ways. Given this ongoing vilification, we hardly need our family name to be called into further disrepute by sloppy and inaccurate writing and book editing. Presumptive accusations of guilt by association through family membership is clearly politically incorrect and in the popular inventory of righteous concern, it belongs on the same vindictive pathway as prejudicial epithets about gay, ethnic or racial epithets.

I do hope this submission goes some way to correct the record at issue, although I fear the damage is done. In recognition of this likelihood, I am currently in consultation with a legal firm to pursue a remedy in the courts, which may be a more effective redress.

My grandfather was not a cheat and most of his descendants now live very successful and meaningful lives, from work in medicine and optometry, business, sociology and community activism, community-based architecture and urban planning, to script writing in Hollywood. Some of them practice law and two are artists. We are all saddened by this unnecessary, irresponsible and inaccurate shot in the dark at my grandfather that came out of the blue.

Sincerely, Dr. Richard Thatcher (Richard is a retired sociologist and currently a writer and artist now living in Craven, Saskatchewan. He spent the first five years of his life and dozens of happy visits to family back to the city after growing up in Saskatoon).

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PAGE A24 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

City Hall Council Notes NOT HAPPY - MAKE A COMPLAINT

If you have a viable complaint against the City of Moose Jaw, please make your voices known to the Ombudsman’s office in Saskatchewan.

Ombudsman Saskatchewan promotes and protects fairness and integrity in the design and delivery of government services. They take complaints about provincial government ministries, agencies, Crown corporations and many health entities. They also take complaints about municipal entities.

Ombudsman Saskatchewan offices are located at 150 – 2401 Saskatchewan Drive Regina Sask. S4P 4H8. Back in July the Ombudsman was Mary McFadyen; she can be reached by phone at the Regina office at (306)787-6211, Fax 306.787-9090 or e-mail ombreg@ombudsman.sk.ca.

Let them know how you feel and get them to investigate.

Mobile parking app to pay for meters could arrive by spring

A digital solution could arrive this spring for residents who are frustrated or annoyed with not having enough change to plug a parking meter.

The City of Moose Jaw has been working to create a mobile parking app that would allow motorists to pay for metered parking using their smartphones instead of fishing for coins. During its Sept. 21 regular meeting, council authorized city administration to issue a request for proposals for the development of such an app.

City manager Jim Puffalt gave council an update about the project’s progress during the most recent council meeting.

He explained that city hall received 15 proposals, with eight of them being “meh” and the remaining seven looking “really good.”

It does not look as if there will be any cost to the city, while motorists will have to pay only a minimal fee when they purchase a parking stall, he continued. City hall will soon interview the seven companies and inform council during its March 8 meeting of which one is the best.

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express City administration expects to have the meter reading problems, 305 users with parking app in place by the spring, Puffalt issues about garbage, 211 people with concerns about winter maintenance, and added.

207 residents with bylaw enforcement City phone app City administration also provided an problems. update during the recent meeting about The average time it took to resolve issues the number of service calls it received included 75 days for transit, 30 days for through its phone app during the fourth internal bylaw edits, 26 days for internal building concerns, 25 days for aniquarter of 2020.

As of Dec. 31, 4,311 people had download- mal control issues, 24 days for sidewalk ed the service app to either their Apple issues, 16 days for recycling, 12 days for iOS (2,768) or Android (1,543) device. No- parks and green spaces, and 11 days for vember was the busiest month for access- general suggestions. ing the app, with 9,347 sessions on Apple Council discussion devices and 4,597 sessions on Android, “I’m a huge fan of this app,” said Coun.

Crystal Froese, noting she has used it sevtotalling 13,944 sessions.

Residents submitted 1,755 tickets to city eral times to upload pictures about grafhall during the fourth quarter, with most fiti. service requests directed to public works (884), followed by the water utility (528), bylaws (207) and parks and recreation (87).

This total was down from 2,253 service requests in Q3 last year, the data showed.

Broken down by issue type, the top concerns included 528 residents with water

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While many people have used the phone app to submit concerns, dozens of residents have also phoned city hall to lodge concerns, prompting employees to enter the data for those residents, explained Wade McKay, director of information technology.

City employees ask residents for their email address or phone number if they want a follow-up message, he added. This means residents don’t need to have the phone app to submit their concerns.

“People can continue to phone. I love what we’re doing here,” said Froese, adding this modernization of municipal business - such as paying tickets online and reporting water meter readings virtually - is moving Moose Jaw forward.

Current city councillors spent over $20K during municipal election, data shows Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

City hall has provided a glimpse into how much money every council candidate spent during the 2020 municipal election, with the six successful candidates spending a combined $20,109.01.

All candidates are required to file how much money they spent and received during a civic election to ensure that the election is transparent and candidates are kept accountable, according to Election Campaign Disclosure and Spending Limits Bylaw No. 5542. The filings are then posted to the City of Moose Jaw’s website.

The bylaw also stipulates that council candidates must file their declaration within three months of the election and mayoral candidates must file within four months of the vote. All candidates must adhere to a spending limit and disclose any donations or gifts in kind that exceed $200.

The 2020 municipal election occurred on Nov. 9.

Successful councillor candidates who fail to file their financial paperwork within three months of the election or lie on their disclosures can be prosecuted. If convicted, they will be removed from office, the bylaw says. Unsuccessful candidates who fail to submit a campaign disclosure forfeit their campaign deposit.

All 15 councillor candidates from the 2020 municipal election filed their campaign disclosures, which means they will receive back their deposit of $100. The deposit is part of the bylaw and encourages candidates to file their statements to receive a full refund.

These numbers are still considered unofficial since a full report on election expenses has not yet been presented to council.

Successful councillor candidates’ expenses: Coun. Doug Blanc spent $1,285.98 during the campaign, including $614.78 in advertising, $254.27 in brochures and $416.93 in signs.

The only campaign contribution Blanc received was $500 from the Moose Jaw Firefighters Association (MJFA).

Coun. Heather Eby spent $2,741.83 during her campaign, including $1,094.84 in brochures, $212.77 in postage, $763.07

in signs, $46.16 in stationery, and $670 in market value expenses for advertising and signs.

Eby received $1,970 in contributions, ranging from a donation of $200 to as high as $500.

Coun. Crystal Froese spent $1,614.69 as part of her campaign, including $257.52 in advertising, $708.18 in brochures, $176.49 in signs and $472.50 for the delivery of brochures.

Froese received $1,250 in contributions, including $500 from the MJFA and $500 from a relative. However, $250 in donations is not listed. Under the bylaw, only cumulative contributions of $200 or more must be publicly declared. Any donations under that level do not have to be declared, but a record must be maintained.

Coun. Jamey Logan spent $7,565.61 during the campaign, the most out of all successful council candidates. His expenses included $385.35 for advertising, $2,577.60 for brochures, $3,210.12 for signs, $394.54 on billboards, and $998 in market value expenses for brochures and billboards.

Logan received $900 in donations, including $500 from the MJFA and $400 from the Civic Centre Plaza billboard.

Coun. Dawn Luhning spent $6,348.23 as part of her re-election campaign. Her advertising expenses included $170.50 with Murray’s Signs Ltd., $3,455.10 with Minuteman Press, $556.50 with Refreshen Up for website work, another $1,368.83 with Minuteman Press, $787.50 with Discover Moose Jaw, and $10 on Facebook.

Luhning did not list any donations.

Coun. Kim R. Robinson spent $541.67 during the election campaign, including $48.26 on advertising, $44.88 for meetings/social functions/rallies, $83.79 for office supplies, and $364.74 for signs.

Robinson received a donation of $500 from the MJFA. The City of Moose Jaw’s website does not list how much the mayoral candidates spent during the election. However, since they have four months to do so, the deadline was officially Tuesday, March 9.

MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A25

Holy Trinity Catholic School Division Education director of Holy Trinity to resign, become director in Regina Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Two new directors of education will helm Moose Jaw’s school divisions come September, after it was announced that the education director for the Catholic division had accepted a job in Regina.

The Regina Catholic School Division (RCSD) announced in early March that it had hired Sean Chase, currently the director of education for Holy Trinity Catholic School Division, to be its education director starting this July.

Chase will succeed Domenic Scuglia, current RCSD education director, who plans to retire at the end of June.

Chase is no stranger to RCSD. As a student, he attended St. Matthew School and later graduated from LeBoldus High School. He began his career as a teacher in 1993, became a principal in 2008, and then became a superintendent in 2011.

In 2018, he resigned to lead the Catholic division in Moose Jaw — his first position as director of education.

“I’m thrilled by the opportunity. It’s great for me. It’s home for me and the place where I spent the entirety of my career before my time here in Holy Trinity, so I’m really, really pleased and humbled to take them up on that offer,” he said.

“At the same time, I’m also recognizing that it’s bittersweet. My time here in Holy Trinity has been nothing short of outstanding personally and professionally for

me, so it will be tough for me to say goodbye to this place because it has become a wonderful part of my life.”

Having spent most of his life involved with Regina Catholic, Chase thought there would be a “piece of the puzzling missing” if he did not apply. He sees the position as a homecoming since family members work for, or attended school with, the division.

Working for Holy Trinity has been second-to-none, especially since the organization has been a big family, he continued. That has been shown since his first day, when the board, school administrators, students, families and the three communities warmly welcomed him.

Chase developed solid relationships with the division and will miss the many people with whom he worked or interacted, he said. He also appreciated the teamwork and collaboration that occurred, notably demonstrated in the division’s response to the pandemic.

Holy Trinity has held several stakeholder engagement activities during the pandemic, he continued, with most families saying they appreciate how hard employees are working.

“It’s that shared accountability and that shared empathy that has been really the hallmark of Holy Trinity during our pandemic response, and I’m just really proud of that from an organizational standpoint,” Chase added.

While Regina Catholic has more students, schools and employees than Holy Trinity, the work in a smaller school division is just as challenging, said Chase. He has learned many things about how education works in smaller communities. Furthermore, Holy Trinity has to rely on its educational partners to provide support since the division doesn’t have all the necessary resources.

“Overall, I’ve had great new experiences here that will certainly be transferrable to my work in Regina Catholic … ,” he added.

Two memories that stick out for Chase including helping create a joint transportation plan on South Hill with Prairie South School Division (PSSD) and supporting the joint-use school project with PSSD in that same area.

Chase will miss not being officially involved with the opening of the joint-use school, he said, but pointed out that he will likely visit during construction and then attempt to attend during the grand opening.

“With that said, I think sometimes the path of leadership is to set the table for the person who comes in after you,” he added, “and I’m certain my successor and the team around here will take the foundation that we’ve created and do great things with it.”

Prairie South School Division

Prairie South has 16 classes with over 28 students this year, data shows Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Sixteen classrooms in Prairie South School Division (PSSD) have 28 or more students this school year, while the number of classrooms with fewer than 10 students is nearly triple that.

As of Feb. 12, Assiniboia Composite High School, Cornerstone Christian School, Prince Arthur Elementary School and Rouleau School, each had one classroom with more than 28 students, while Central Collegiate and A.E. Peacock Collegiate each had six classrooms with over 28 students, according to a class size report.

Specifically, Central has 30 students in each of its six Math 30 PC classes; Cornerstone has 33 students in its Financial Literacy 20 classes; Peacock has 29 students in each of its six Math 30 Foundations classes; and Prince Arthur School has 29 students in its Grade 8 homeroom.

There are 79 classes throughout the school division with

10 or fewer students as of Feb. 12, the data shows.

Briercrest Christian Academy has 10 students in its Foundations 30 class. Cornerstone has eight students in drama, nine students in PhysEd 30 and six students in music 20/30, while Riverview Collegiate has six students in welding 10/20/30 and eight students in drama 10/20/30.

The remaining 73 classrooms with 10 or fewer students are in rural schools in the division. Craik School has 12 classes with fewer than 10 students, the most of any rural school.

The data about the number of students in classrooms was presented during the recent PSSD board of education meeting. Trustees received and filed the information.

Transparent decision-making It is important to have this document so that the board can refer to it throughout the year when making deci-

sions, while it also offers a level of transparency to schools and teachers, said trustee Lew Young. Educators can be confident knowing that this information is in front of trustees, who then know how large some classes are throughout the division.

Young has been a trustee for more than 15 years and recalls the board spending much time discussing this document.

“It takes time to be able to create and have this data … but at least it’s there, that it’s coming to the board in the board package, so you can see what’s happening,” he added. “And if and when you see this again, it might be an item you want to move up into discussion and talk about it during the board meeting or when we have planning sessions.”

Public school division seeing fewer absences despite ongoing pandemic Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

The pandemic could be a great excuse to skip school, but data shows that absences in public schools are down this year compared to the same time last year.

Administration with Prairie South School Division (PSSD) created a report about attendance figures for students and teachers during the 2020-21 school year from September to December and presented it during the recent board of education meeting.

“This information details absences, however, the COVID-19 pandemic will have affected some of these numbers and we are unable to accurately identify all COVID-related absences,” the report said. “In general, absences are down this year as compared to the same time last year. Some of this will be due to time spent working or learning form home, which we are considering as ‘present.’”

Trustee Giselle Wilson applauded the report, after requesting the information during a previous board meeting.

“I was just looking to see if we have seen any sort of decrease in absences in students due to the pandemic, and we do definitely see that,” she said. “So, I guess on a pos-

itive COVID note, we see that teachers and students are in the schools learning together. So that’s great to see.”

Teacher absence data The report separated teacher absences by year — September to December 2019 versus the same timeframe in 2020 — and the reasons for those absences, whether division-directed leaves or allowances in the collective agreement.

Based on 440.62 full-time equivalent (FTE) teacher positions, the data showed: · Division-directed leave: 605.4 FTE absences in 2019 versus 115.98 FTE absences in 2020; · Collective agreement allowances: 812 FTE absences in 2019 versus 565.5 FTE absences in 2020; · Illness leave (paid and unpaid): 1,223 FTE absences in 2019 versus 1,154 FTE absences in 2020;· Medical and dental leave: 357 FTE absences in 2019 versus 342 FTE absences in 2020; · Totals: 2,997.4 FTE absences in 2019 versus 2,177.5 FTE absences in 2020.

Student absence data Division administration compared illness absences for

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students from September to January for the 2019-2020 and 2020-21 school years.

There were 15,580 student absences during the first five months of the previous school year, while there have been 14,155 student absences during the same time this school year.

Monthly absence reports In a separate report, teacher absences and substitute usage were recorded from Jan. 22 to Feb. 23. Based on 440.62 FTE teacher positions, the data showed: · A total of 679.24 FTE absences occurred; · 70.76 per cent of teachers required a substitute teacher; · Substitute teachers provided 480.60 FTE in coverage; · A total of 18 actual days of teaching was affected, out of a possible 7,931.16 FTE days, or 8.56 per cent.

Bus driver absences were recorded from Jan. 25 to Feb. 21. Based on 107 FTE staff positions, the data showed: · 95 FTE days were missed; · A substitute driver was needed 86 per cent of the time; · A total of 14 actual days of driving was affected, out of a possible 1,498 FTE days, or 6.34 per cent.

“I want to congratulate staff because given the pandemic, attendance is phenomenal,” said trustee Mary Jukes.

“It’s quite high. They should be commended.”

PAGE A26 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Prairie South School Division

Prairie South taking ‘cup half-full’ view for return of normal school routines Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Prairie South School Division (PSSD) is taking a “cup half-full” view of when school will return to a more normal routine, including with this year’s graduation ceremonies.

Board chair Robert Bachmann and education director Tony Baldwin issued a joint letter to parents on Feb. 26 that provided an update about the existing pandemic restrictions and how they affected schools.

They explained that they had not issued a joint letter since Dec. 10 since there was very little new to report.

They noted that most schools in the division were doing well in the COVID-19 environment, while little headway was being made in returning to a more normal school routine.

“We’re choosing to go with the cup half-full view and hope that you are able to do this as well,” they wrote.

There had been 39 positive cases of COVID-19 throughout PSSD as of Feb. 26, with the division office contin-

ually supporting the contact tracing program that public health had conducted in schools and other educational buildings, they continued. Twelve of 39 PSSD schools have been affected so far with one or more positive cases, while provincially, about 300 of 700 schools have also been impacted with one or more positive cases.

Prairie South administration was continuing to request additional information from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) about upcoming spring and summer activities, including this year’s graduation ceremonies, the letter said. The SHA was aware that many students, staff and families are anxious about this topic and committed to providing updates quickly.

“What we know for now is that virtual ceremonies are safe and will be allowed, and that indoor ceremonies will not be allowed,” Baldwin and Bachmann wrote. “We are working on shrinking the yellow zone (of activities that may be OK) to assist with planning at the local level.

“We think it is likely that we will be looking at outdoor graduation ceremonies with restrictions as the most likely outcome.”

Staff in all schools have been working diligently to enhance students’ literacy skills, but parental support for this work is necessary for the kids, they continued. Regular reading is a gift that costs nothing, builds connections within the family and upgrades youths’ skills for the future.

Baldwin and Bachmann noted that they were excited about the progress being made with vaccine rollouts since the most vulnerable people in families will likely be made safer as a result.

“We hope the cold weather is gone for good, as we know that being outside and active is one way we can all be healthier,” they added. “Together, we’re going to be OK.”

Nearly 800 public school students learning online this year, report shows Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

There are 721 rural and urban students enrolled in Prairie South School Division’s Virtual School this year, with most students learning at the high school level.

There are 177 students from grades 1 to 9 learning virtually this year, including 116 youths with a home address in Moose Jaw and 61 students with a home address outside of the community, data from the division shows.

Meanwhile, there are 544 students in grades 10 to 12 who are learning virtually. Some of those students are studying online full-time, while many part-time students are studying both online and at a traditional brick-and-mortar school.

There are more than 7,100 students attending one of 38 schools throughout Prairie South this year.

Grade 10 data Six students from Moose Jaw are taking Grade 10 classes fully online this year, while two youths from outside of Moose Jaw are also studying full-time through the Virtual School, the data shows. Conversely, 23 students in Moose Jaw are part-time virtual students and 44 rural youths are studying part-time online.

A total of 75 students in Grade 10 are learning either fulltime or part-time online.

Grade 11 data Four students from Moose Jaw are taking Grade 11 classes full-time online, while six youths in the rural areas are also studying full-time through the Virtual School.

Meanwhile, 46 youths in Moose Jaw are part-time virtual students and 125 rural youths are studying part-time

online.

A total of 181 students in Grade 11 are learning either full-time or part-time online.

Grade 12 data Twenty-seven youths from Moose Jaw are taking Grade 12 classes full-time online this year, while 18 students in the rural areas are also studying full-time through the Virtual School, the data shows. Conversely, 86 youths in Moose Jaw are part-time digital learners and 157 rural students are studying part-time online.

A total of 288 students in Grade 12 are learning either full-time or part-time online.

Prairie South administration presented the data during the recent board of education meeting. Trustees voted to receive and file the report.

PSSD trustees urged to fund pre-kindergarten on a multi-year basis Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Public school trustees are being encouraged to fund division-supported pre-kindergarten classes through a multiyear program instead of every year to increase predictability for parents and staff.

Division administration with Prairie South School Division (PSSD) suggested the change during the recent board of education meeting during a discussion about early learning.

PSSD is funding nine pre-kindergarten classes this year while the Ministry of Education is funding eight classes, explained Amanda Olson, superintendent of learning.

The division normally supports a 10th program in Rouleau but decided to cancel the class this year due to low turnout.

Pre-kindergarten supports the development of three- and four-year-olds using appropriate educational programming based on early childhood research and practice.

The ministry determines where a funded program will be established based on census data and access to other high-quality programs in the area.

In Moose Jaw, the ministry supports pre-kindergarten programs at Empire School, King George, Prince Arthur, Westmount and William Grayson. The number of pre-k students at these schools is 10, 26, nine, 30, and 15, respectively.

Meanwhile, PSSD supports programs at Lindale School (11 students), Palliser Heights French immersion (16 students), Palliser Heights English stream (17 students), and Sunningdale School (18 students).

According to Olson’s report, PSSD received $529,938 in grants to run the pre-kindergarten programs, while expenses — most salaries and benefits — were $965,471,

leaving a deficit of $435,533.

The division also has eight spaces for students who need early learning intensive supports (ELIS), with four spots at Westmount, two at Palliser Heights and two at Sunningdale, Olson said. This is a federally funded program that enables children to attend pre-kindergarten with their peers while receiving support.

Children are selected through an application process.

Once accepted, the division provides them with access to therapy supports so they can attend safely and successfully, she continued. PSSD received $50,000 in ELIS funding last year, while it received $100,000 this year.

Kindergarten development Kindergarten teachers are responsible for administering the Early Years Evaluation Teacher Assessment (EYETA) each fall, with select students reassessed in the spring, said Olson. The division assessed 444 kindergarten students between Oct. 19 and Nov. 30, 2020, with the results showing: • Awareness of self and environment: 357 students have appropriate development, 77 are experiencing some difficulties, and eight are having significant difficulty; • Social skills and approaches to learning: 342 students have appropriate development, 88 are having some troubles and 14 are having significant difficulty; • Cognitive skills: 285 students have appropriate development, 126 are having some difficulty and 30 are facing significant problems; • Language and communication: 370 youths have appropriate development, 59 are facing some difficulty and 13 are having significant problems; • Fine motor physical development: 333 students have ap-

propriate development, 92 are having some difficulty and 19 are facing significant problems; • Gross motor physical development: 349 have appropriate development, 83 face some issues and 12 are having major difficulty.

Schools receive each student’s results and then put together learning plans to address the students’ needs, Olson added.

Board of education discussion It’s positive to discuss funding pre-kindergarten on a multi-year basis because this needs to happen, trustee Lew Young said. Many people wonder when they can register their children, but the board can’t even provide direction to division administration when it’s always preparing for the next school year.

“We have addressed this over the years, but it just keeps coming up and up and up,” he added. “So hopefully, this board will be able to make it as a strategic plan that we’re going to be able to do that.”

Tony Baldwin, director of education, explained that division administration waits every year for the board to approve the budget because trustees can’t guide the longterm viability of PSSD-supported pre-kindergarten programs until that happens. The division is also hesitant to register students because it doesn’t want to turn them away if the money is not available.

Pre-k registration for 2021-22 will not happen until after the board approves the staffing budget, likely in early May, Baldwin added.

The next PSSD board of education meeting is April 6.

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MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A27

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Miller Express sign Barnett from CCCAA Fullerton College Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

The Moose Jaw Miller Express continued to look to their California Community College Athletic Association pipeline for their most recent signing, and despite his youth, pitcher Bryce Barnett brings decent numbers to the pitching mound.

Barnett, who hails from Laguna Niguel, Cal., played his freshman season with the Fullerton College Hornets in the CCCAA Orange Empire Conference in the abbreviated 2019-20 campaign.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound righthander made eight appearances for the club, starting seven games and posting a 1-1 record to go along with a 5.58 earned run average over 30.2 innings pitched. He showed impressive control along the way, striking

out 22 while walking only eight.

While his ERA might seem a touch high compared to other Express signees this winter, the majority of his starts were impressive - only twice did Barnett allow more than three earned runs in an appearance.

Barnett’s top showing came in a Feb. 28 contest against West Los Angeles, where he put together a quality start, allowing three runs on six hits through seven innings of work in an 11-5 win for the Hornets.

He had an equally as solid showing two weeks earlier in an 11-10 win over Moorpark, where he scattered six hits over five innings and allowed a single run, striking

Bryce Barnett out three and walking one.

Barnett is the fourth CCCAA player signed by the Express this season, including Moose Jaw’s Reece Helland out of

Monterey Penninsula.

There’s also a sombre connection between Fullerton College and recent events - the Hornets play in the same conference as Orange Coast College, who lost baseball coach John Altobelli in the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.

Fullerton College open their regular season on April 10 when they take on Mt. San Antonio.

The Moose Jaw Miller Express kick off their 2021 Western Canadian Baseball League campaign on May 28 when they host the Medicine Hat Mavericks at Ross Wells Park.

Work coming along with Pla-Mor Palace dressing rooms, Sportsplex renovations Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

After delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and funding shortfalls caused by the same, patrons of the Pla-Mor Palace ice rinks and the Kinsmen Sportsplex will soon finally see planned improvements reach completion.

Moose Jaw director of parks and recreation Derek Blais said recently that work on the Bert Hunt Arena dressing room addition has reached 90 per cent completion, after which construction will begin on the same at the Wally Boshuck Arena.

Meanwhile, the ongoing renovations to the Kinsmen Sportsplex changerooms and front desk area will likely be completed within the next month.

It’s all a run of good news for the projects, which have seen their share of turmoil brought on by the many restrictions and delays as the pandemic continues to run its course.

The Pla-Mor Palace improvements have been long coming. Each arena has four dressing rooms, which can accommodate teams playing games and preparing to play the following contest. That leaves no room for female players.

In fact, the only way the Bert Hunt was able address the issue was by turning a storage area without benches, ventilation, a washroom or showers into a makeshift dressing room.

The plan to build a dressing room in each arena was finalized in the 2020 budget, with the total cost coming in at $109,000 at the time.

Top Line Construction from Moose Jaw was contracted for the build.

“It’s definitely been a work in progress,” Blais said. “It was a project that was identified a number of years ago but the costs were a lot higher than what we have them pegged at now.

The Bert Hunt Arena will soon see its new dressing room completed, after which work will move on to the Wally Boschuk Arena.

“We were originally looking to do a full dressing room outside the envelope of the building, which drove up the costs to get all the mechanical, plumbing and electrical in there. But we were able to find another space within and substantially reduce the cost and move forward with this.”

The new Bert Hunt dressing room is being constructed under the bleachers and will have all the necessary amenities, as will the new room in the Wally Boshuck, which is being put into a converted mechanical room.

Everything should be finished well in time for the 202122 season.

CITY OF MOOSE JAW CALL FOR NOMINATIONS NOTICE OF VACANCIES ON THE CITY OF MOOSE JAW’S BOARDS AND COMMITTEES

Applications are now being accepted from citizens interested in taking an active role on one or more of the City’s Boards and Committees for the following: • Cultural Diversity Advisory Committee (2 citizen-at-large vacancies)

ASSESSMENT ROLL 2021 VILLAGE OF AVONLEA Notice is hereby given that the assessment roll for the Village of Avonlea for the year 2021 has been prepared and is open to inspection in the office of the Assessor from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the following days: Monday to Friday, inclusive, March 5th, 2021 to May 5th, 2021.

A bylaw pursuant to Secion 214 of The Municipalities Act has been passed and the assessment notices have been sent as required.

Any person who wishes to appeal his or her assessment is required to file his or her notice of appeal, accompanied by a $25.00 appeal fee per parcel with: The Assessor, Village of Avonlea, Box 209, Avonlea, SK S0H 0C0, by the 5th day of May, 2021.

Dated this 5th day of March, 2021.

Jaimie Paranuik, Assessor

• Board of Revision (1 vacancy) • Development Appeals Board (3 vacancies) • Murals Project Management Committee (5 citizen-at-large vacancies) • Parks, Recreation and Facilities Advisory Committee (3 citizen-at-large vacancies) • Public Works, Infrastructure and Environment Advisory Committee (1 vacancy for a representative from the First Nations or Metis community) Application forms and additional information regarding the City’s Boards and Committees can be obtained from the City of Moose Jaw’s website at www.moosejaw.ca OR by contacting the City Clerk’s Office, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 228 Main Street N., Moose Jaw, SK, (306-694-4424).

Applications may be submitted on line through the City’s website, by mail to the City Clerk’s Office, 228 Main Street N., Moose Jaw, SK, S6H 3J8, or by email to cclerk@moosejaw.ca.

THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS 12:00 noon, FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021.

Tracy Wittke, Assistant City Clerk

Of course, nothing is that easy in the era of COVID-19.

When both projects had to be delayed, it didn’t take long for costs to quickly rise. That led to additional funds being needed for the work at the Pla-Mor, to the tune of an extra $40,000.

“We had the approval to get going and we’re just about ready to go for tender,” explained Blais. “Then the pandemic hit, and at that point we had to implement the financial measures, which meant this project was one that was put on hold. Once we got the approval to proceed again it was in the fall, but the lumber prices over that time had gone up substantially and we didn’t have the budget at that point.”

Fortunately, city council approved the increase, and did the same to the tune of $56,525 to finish off the Sportsplex work.

Improvements to local recreational facilities won’t end there, either.

The heat exchanger and boiler system at the Pla-Mor is also due to be replaced in the near future, and consulting work will soon begin for the replacement of the PlaMor roof - a project that will likely hit the million-dollar range.

“The amount of leaks we’ve had in the roof with the freeze-thaws has been substantial, so it’ll be nice to get that one done,” Blais said.

FOR SALE BY TENDER The Rural Municipality of Caron No. 162 offers for sale the following property, Property Description: Lot 10, Lot 11 and Lot 12, Block 4, Plan D3296 in the Hamlet of Caron, land and improvements and contents, civic address 14 Parkbeg Street Caron, Saskatchewan.

A tender must be submitted in a sealed envelope marked “Property Tender”, addressed to: Attention: Sheila Filion, Auditor for the Rural Municipality of Caron No. 162 Address: Virtus Group, 200-2208 Scarth St. Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 2J6.

Tenders must be postmarked by 11:59 pm on: Date: March 31, 2021.

A certified cheque to the municipality for 5% of the amount of the tender must accompany the tender.

Highest, or any tender, not necessarily accepted.

Successful bidder will have 30 days to provide the balance of cash to complete the purchase.

Dated this 9th day of March, 2021.

John Morris, Administrator Rural Municipality of Caron No. 162 #2-1410 Caribou St. W. Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan S6H 7S9 306-692-2293 rm162@sasktel.net

PAGE A28 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

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Moose Jaw’s Holland looks back on the strange and unusual Scotties that was Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

In her decades of involvement in the sport of curling, Amber Holland has seen just about all of it. Provincial and national title wins, world championships, countless bonspiels and cashpiels, every kind of curling at every level of stakes you can imagine.

But then, nothing, absolutely nothing, will compare to what she and Sherry Anderson’s Team Saskatchewan went through at the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary this year. The event was the first to take place in the Curling Canada bubble in the Markin McPhail Centre and the first to deal with the massive number of protocols and restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Holland took part in the event as the fifth with Anderson’s crew of third Nancy Martin, second Chaelynn Kitz, lead Breanne Knapp and coach Shane Kitz. It was far from Holland’s first trip to the event as a fifth - through her years with Curl Sask she was almost the defacto alternate for many a Saskatchewan representative - but certainly the most unusual.

“It was definitely a different Scotties; in the first few days we were there, you got the feeling that this is so beyond what we’ve ever imagined,” Holland said while looking back at the event last Wednesday. “But once we started curling it was a lot more normal. A lot of times at those events, you have some time to curl, get some nutrition, rest and you’re back curling again, and once we started that curling kind of format, you just got engrossed in that so that felt really normal.”

The most difficult part of the whole situation came in the early going, as teams adjusted to the testing, the quarantining, the isolation, the lack of fans, pretty much everything that wasn’t on the ice. It was as far away from a normal Scotties as one can imagine. “(At the start) you had to stay away from your teammates until you got the all-clear to be together with your masks on and

Sherry Anderson and Team Saskatchewan, including fifth Amber Holland, put together a 6-6 record at the most unusual Scotties Tournament of Hearts in recent history. (Andrew Klaver / Curling Canada photos) still socially distanced,” Holland said.

“So there were a lot of protocols off the ice that we had to adhere to, and early on; when we didn’t have the distraction of regular curling, it was tough to feel like you were part of a special curling event.

For myself and Sherry, knowing what that event can be like traditionally, it was maybe a little harder for us to wrap our heads around it, but for the rookies, it just is what it is.”

The biggest difference on the ice was the complete and utter lack of sound outside of the games themselves.

No fans meant being able to hear air conditioners running and, as Anderson famously remarked, even toilets flushing on the concourse. As those who took in the 2020 Scotties at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw, the steady din of 3,000 people in a building is a sound all its own. Now, take that away and imagine how much different the atmosphere would be.

TAX ENFORCEMENT LIST Village of Avonlea PROVINCE OF SASKATCHEWAN

“As competitors, you’re on the ice and so focussed in the moment you don’t realize it, but sitting behind the sheet and not being a participant in the game, you really notice how quiet it is,” Holland said. “The ‘yeah, that was a great shot’ and nothing happening. And even when I got home and watched the final on TV, Kerri wins and it’s like ‘where’s all the excitement?’

“You could tell it just didn’t have the same energy, and that’s one of the special things about that, going to a Scotties or any national championship in an arena, the energy you get from that crowd. Even the dull murmur of the thousands of people around you, and that was very different.”

Adding to the unusual situation was the fact Holland herself had a chance to play in a game. That’s right: for all the times she’s been a fifth, Holland had never taken the ice as an alternate in the past.

She ended up subbing in for Anderson who was dealing with an ailing back - in Saskatchewan’s second Championship Pool game and dropped a 10-9 decision to Team Wild Card 3’s Beth Peterson.

“Sherry just needed a break; her body told her it wasn’t a good idea and she listened

Notice is hereby given under The Tax Enforcement Act that unless the arrears appearing opposite the land described in the following list are fully paid before the 5th day of May, 2021, a tax lien will be registered against the land.

Note: A sum for costs in an amount as prescribed in the regulations will be included in the amount shown against each parcel.

Description of Property Parcel D Lot 31 Lot 1 31’ of Lot 8, Lot 9 Lot 6 Lot 15A Lot 15 All of

Total Arrears and Costs Block 5, Plan 68R15651 Block 10, Plan 101997726 Block 16, Plan 65R25468 Block 16, Plan 65R25468 Block 7, Plan AY1304 Block 22, Plan 85R23646 Block 02, Plan AU3774 Block 15A, PlanBG1359

Dated this 5th day of March, 2021 Jaimie Paranuik Administrator

$4,449.61 $ 637.27 $1,170.92 $1,170.40 $3,205.61 $4,251.45 $1,399.88 $68,714.28

to it,” Holland explained. “So it was good.

I felt pretty comfortable, I would have loved to have come off the ice with a win, but for the most part I give myself a passing grade. I thought I managed it okay and it was just a little disappointing not to get the win at the end of it.”

The game-to-game situation was a touch different, too, in that Holland’s experience is often far greater than the players she’s working as fifth for. That helps make her an unofficial assistant coach in most cases. But with Anderson - now a 10-time Scotties competitor - it was more of an advisory role.

“As a fifth, how you support each player is a little different,” Holland said. “Sherry herself, it’s just a lot of talking about what shots you’re going to call and how you’re making them, seeing the different things and walking through that, where someone like Chaelynn, her first time at the Scotties, it was more like ‘okay, you’re going to experience this’ or ‘remember about this’. So everyone is a little bit different.”

All in all, Holland was happy with how things ended up for Team Anderson.

“I’m sure the team is a little disappointed we couldn’t come through with a win or two in the championship pool once we got there, but now you’re playing the top teams and obviously things weren’t necessarily ideal with Sherry maybe not feeling 100 per cent,” she said.

“We still had some good games, though, but just couldn’t stay as consistent through all eight to 10 ends… I think going into this the goal was to get to the championship pool and playoffs were maybe a bonus, so we’re pretty happy with how it all turned out.”

TAX ENFORCEMENT LIST Rural Municipality of Elmsthorpe No. 100 PROVINCE OF SASKATCHEWAN Notice is hereby given under The Tax Enforcement Act that unless the arrears and costs appearing opposite the land described in the following list are fully paid before the 5th day of May, 2021, a tax lien will be registered against the land.

NW-07-10-22-W2 SW-07-10-22-W2 NE-12-10-23-W2 SE-12-10-23-W2 NE-09-12-23-W2 SW-15-12-23-W2

$1,469.25 $1,451.24 $1,194.20 $1,059.23 $1,053.55 $1,135.20

Claybank Lots 1-9 Lots 10-12

Block 5 Block 5

Plan R6136 Plan R6136

$1,680.84 $ 196.69

Truax Lots 3-4 Lots 6-7

Block 6 Block 6

Plan BW9711TR Plan BW9711TR

$ 455.10 $ 199.38

Dated this 5th day of March, 2021 Jaimie Paranuik Administrator

MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A29

G N I Y U B S D R A C S T R A I O L I P S EMORAB &M We are looking for all sport cards and memorabilia 1910-present issued by O-Pee-Chee, Topps, Bowman, Upper Deck, Parkhurst and Cigarette companies from the early 1900’s.

Especially interested in unopened Wax Packs Boxes and Cases from all Sports.

We are also looking for Pokémon cards.

CALL TODAY, GET CASH TONIGHT Frank (204) 999-9608 Email: goalie261@msn.com

PAGE A30 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

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Moose Jaw Skating Club hits the ice for virtual competition from Skate Sask.

Larissa Kurz

A number of skaters from the Moose Jaw Skating Club competed during the final weekend of February in the first-ever 2021 Saskatchewan Virtual Cup, a competitive event organized by Skate Canada Saskatchewan that took place almost entirely virtually.

Moose Jaw skaters joined clubs from around the province to compete in the virtual competition, including skaters from Caronport, Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton, Prince Albert, Maple Creek and Shellbrook.

Each performance was pre-recorded and submitted ahead of the competition, and then shown live online for a panel of judges to evaluate in real-time on Feb. 27 and 28.

A dozen of the Moose Jaw club’s skaters took the ice in Mosaic Place earlier in February to perform their programs, which were filmed in one take and allowed for only one or two skaters on the ice at a time.

Results were shared live during the event, allowing competitors to evaluate their scores throughout the weekend. All performances are still available to view through the SCS website.

From Moose Jaw, Justene Aitken took

bronze in both the novice women’s free program and the short program, while Eric Swalm placed first in the juvenile men (U14) free program.

In the pre-juvenile women (U13) free program, Moose Jaw skaters Dylan Payne and Rachel Ward took first and second place, respectively, followed by Kcena-rae Osiowy of Caronport Skate Club.

Seann Terry placed third in the pre-juvenile men (U13) free program, and Brecon Swalm also placed third in the pre-juvenile women (U11) free program.

Lindsay Allen finished the weekend with eighth place in the pre-novice women’s short program and sixth in the free program, alongside Mitike Cridland who took sixth (short) and eighth (free), and Camryn Ferguson who placed thirteenth (short) and fourteenth (free).

Duo Raeann Lobb from Caronport and Shimone McClanahan from Moose Jaw were the only pair to compete in the juvenile dance program, taking first. Tyrae Wiebe and Shamus McClanahan, both from Moose Jaw, were also the only pair in the pre-novice dance program, also taking first.

Although the virtual competition doesn’t count for any total scores for this season,

Moose Jaw Skate Club member Lindsay Allen during the 2021 Saskatchewan Virtual Cup. (supplied) MJSC publicity chair Carime Molde said that skaters were very excited to take part as it's the first competitive opportunity they’ve had in over a year.

“It just gave them something to work towards, every time they stepped on the ice,” said Molde. “They knew they were going to perform in front of a panel of judges, and so I think it helped give them a purpose for their skating this winter and spring.”

“There wasn’t a huge turnout across the province from skaters so [the Virtual Cup] wasn’t a huge competition, but lots of our

skaters did really well,” she continued.

The Star Skate program has seen little interruption from the pandemic restrictions this season, said Molde, with the biggest adjustment being the reduction to only 8 skaters allowed on the ice at a time.

“All of our Star skaters continued skating in their cohorts of eight, which ended up being a really great way to run it. We really enjoyed it,” said Molde.

While the cohorts do put some minimal strains on the club, Molde felt that skaters and coaches alike were actually benefiting from the restriction.

“The coaches really enjoyed just having eight skaters to work with [at a time], because sometimes our groups were [big enough] that they were spread pretty thin,” said Molde.

Moving forward, skaters are finishing up their Star Skate test days before the club begins preparing to host its usual spring camp sessions. With both Mosaic Place and the Kinsmen Centre already in the process of removing their ice, this year’s camps will likely be held in rinks just outside of Moose Jaw this year.

For more details on the 2021 Saskatchewan Virtual Cup scores from the weekend, visit skatecanadasaskatchewan.com.

Former Warriors standout Randy Jeannot makes NHL debut with Nashville Palmer - Moose Jaw Express When it comes to putting in the effort both on and off the ice, former Moose Jaw Warriors forward Tanner Jeannot.was noticed by the Nashville Predators and has been signed as a free agent after his 20-year-old season.

That’s why the 23-year-old Oxbow prod-

uct made his National Hockey League debut with the Predators last Tuesday night.

After receiving the traditional ‘rookie treatment’ and taking a few laps by himself during warm-up, Jeannot took the ice on the left wing alongside Colton Sissons and Mathieu Olivier.

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Jeannot would receive 6:28 in ice time and would block his first shot in the NHL. “It’s been awesome, I’m sure everyone that gets the opportunity to play their first game in the NHL would say the same thing. It’s something you work for your whole life,” Jeannot said on NHL.com last Wednesday. “I can’t thank the people who helped get me here enough, my family drove me to the rink all those early mornings, coaches, friends, teammates, everybody is sharing in it with me and I’ve got lots of messages from people back home and all around, so it’s been really amazing.”

Jeannot emerged as one of the Warriors’ heart-and-soul players through his four years with the WHL squad, and his hard-working style paid off in his overage season as Jeannot scored 40 goals and 80 points while taking the ice in all 72 games. He’d emerge as a critical piece of the team’s success as Warriors would go on to win the Scotty Munro Trophy with the best regular-season record in the WHL. Jeannot signed with the Preds after that season and has spent most of the last two campaigns with the Milwaukee Admirals

Former Warrior standout Tanner Jeannot got the rookie solo treatment for his first game with the Nashville Predators

of the AHL, where he had 12 goals and 31 points in 92 games.

Jeannot started the 2020-21 campaign in style, though - first taking the ice with the Florida Everblades in the ECHL, where he had three goals and six points in five games. As soon as the American Hockey League opened their season, Jeannot was in the Chicago Wolves line-up and serving as an assistant captain. He’d scored three goals and eight points in six games before being called up to the Predators taxi squad on Feb. 26.

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MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A31

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With NHL Draft on horizon, Warriors Korczak aiming for impact season Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

When the Western Hockey League East Division schedule kicks off during the March 21 weekend in the Regina hub, players will have lots on the line, but few will be looking to show off what they’re truly are capable of more than Moose Jaw Warriors forward Ryder Korczak.

As one of only two players in the division projected as a first-round National Hockey League draft pick this summer, you’re going want to make sure everyone knows that ranking is well deserved.

Korczak, 18, was given an ‘A’ ranking by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau in their most recent projections in January, meaning he can be expected to hear his name called on day one of the 2021 NHL Draft. Only Carson Lambos of the Winnipeg Ice found himself with the same ranking.

“I was definitely pumped, it’s obviously a pretty big honour and humbling for me to be ranked as an ‘A’ prospect, but the work just starts now and I’ll have to make sure I live up to their expectations,” Korczak said from his home in Yorkton recently. “I just have to stick to my game, there’s a reason I’m there so I’ll just play my game and be myself.”

Of course, in a normal year, he’d already have 40 or so games under his belt to do just that. But as everyone is plenty aware, things are as about as strange as can be right now, with the upcoming 24-game schedule based completely out of Regina as close to normal as we’re going to get for awhile.

Korczak has done what he can to prepare for the twomonth burst of games, keeping busy with the occasional skate and plenty of time in the gym.

“I’m just here with my buddies in Yorkton, so we just go to Canora which is an hour away, or Foam Lake, which isn’t too far, either, and skate there every couple days,” he said. “The off-season has been pretty good, I’ve been relaxing a little bit, skating and working out a little bit and just looking forward to get back to playing games here.”

Interestingly enough, he almost had a chance to do just that far earlier than most of his Warriors compatriots earlier this season. Korczak was actually practicing with

Moose Jaw Warriors forward Ryder Korczak will be looking for a big season in the Regina hub. the Yorkton Terriers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in the lead-up to the SJHL’s start in November and could have found himself skating alongside the likes of Medicine Hat Tigers overager Brett Kemp, Everett Silvertips forward Jackson Berezowski as well as former Warriors Kaeden and Keenan Taphorn - all of whom are Yorkton minor hockey products.

“I was practicing with them for a bit and was thinking about it, but I was hesitant about it because the WHL season was going to go with their season and unfortunately they didn’t,” Korczak said. “It would have been pretty cool, though.”

That opportunity aside, it’s been as much time off as Korczak has had in his hockey career - it’ll be almost a full year to the day when the puck finally drops in Regina - and as one can imagine, it’s been rather unusual.

“It’s different, no one has ever been through this and it

definitely wasn’t expected, but everyone is going through it,” he said. “So I’m just looking at it as a positive here, everyone has had a lot of down time and off time and I’m just ready to get back to things.”

When things do get going, the league is going to be looking to make up for lost time. Playing 24 games in a little under two months is about as compact as a hockey schedule can get in the pandemic era, but it’s something Korczak most certainly has no problem with.

“It’ll be interesting, we’ll be there for 58 days and we’ll have 24 games, so not much down time, practice and games pretty much,” he said. “But I’m looking forward to it, for sure.”

Korczak and his Warriors teammates will be looking for a lot of improvement after the rebuild season they had in 2019-20. Scoring goals and putting up points carries far less weight if you aren’t winning games, and while Korczak did plenty of both last season - 18 goals and 67 points in 62 games, a league-high 17.2 per cent of the Warriors’ offensive output last season according to CHL statistician Geoffery Brandow - putting up more checks in the W column will be the priority.

The good news is the team is another year old and ideally another year better.

“I think we’re actually looking pretty good,” Korczak said. “We have the two new 20-year-olds, Riley Krane and Brad Ginnell, they’re both going to be good additions to our team, then obviously everyone is a year older and that’s going to be a big addition, just getting bigger and stronger as the years go on. Then we have lots of depth down the middle and our back end is pretty strong and we’ll have really good goaltending with Boston (Bilous) back in the net there, so I think we’ll be pretty solid.”

As for overall goals, just taking a step forward in the right direction will make all the difference.

“From a team standpoint, it would be to make a playoff push if there were playoffs,” Korczak said. “But without that, just competing more and being a grittier team, wanting to win more and put ourselves into situations where we can win games, that’ll be the most important.”

Sport nutrition seminar to offer look at fueling for optimum performance The days of slamming down a burger and fries a half hour before your game after not eating anything all day and expecting to perform your best are long gone.

When it comes to creating the best possible outcome for sports performance, nutrition has evolved into a key and crucial component for any athlete serious about getting the most out of their body and mind on the field of play.

The province’s Districts for Culture, Recreation and Sport will offer a chance to help athletes learn just how

Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

to manage their nutritional intake and fuel their performances with their Optimal Sports Nutrition seminar on March 18.

The Zoom event will be facilitated by sports dietician Heather Hynes and will run for an hour, focussing on fuel requirements for sports performance (including the proper ratios of carbohydrates, protein and fats) as well as when you should eat before, during and after your activities in addition to proper hydration techniques.

Two workshops will be presented, one running from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and the second from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., with a question and answer session to follow.

All sessions are free of charge and open to anyone interested, but you have to register at least 48 hours in advance. To register, visit https://bit.ly/3sQVrKh, and if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail brennen@gosouthwest.ca or call (306) 693-7304.

PAGE A32 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

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Warriors’ Jones talks about life in the Regina East Division hub Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express Over the last year, as everyone in society can tell you, being in a COVID-19 lockdown isn’t fun. With little to do and even less socialization, it can be easy for boredom to set in.

The Moose Jaw Warriors are no exception to the rule, especially after the last couple of weeks.

Once the Western Hockey League announced the return-to-play plan for the East Division, players on all seven teams had to enter a seven-day self-quarantine on Feb. 20. Once that was up, they reported to the Regina hub and entered another five-day lockdown, this time individually in their University of Regina dorm rooms.

Friday morning marked the first time the Warriors were finally fully free in almost two weeks, as they took the ice for their first practice in nearly a year.

And through the entire process, Warriors defenceman Nolan Jones has been a part of it.

Jones -- the 19-year-old Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product who joined the team in the Brayden Tracey mega-deal at the 2019-20 trade deadline -- reports that things haven’t been all that tough to deal with, especially with the light at the end of the tunnel.

“It wasn’t bad, the days felt longer but it was good and I always found a way to stay

Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Nolan Jones in action against Medicine Hat last season. busy,” he said of the initial quarantine at home in the Friendly City. “Then coming here, it’s a lockdown and we have to stay in our rooms, but at the end of the day we knew we had to do it for us to have the privilege to go back on the ice and start up again… I mean, it’s never fun being away from your teammates and locked in your room for a bit, but you know what, at the end of the day it’s worth it.”

Fortunately, in the modern era, there are ways to make the time fly by.

“A whooole lot of video games and Net-

flix, for sure,” Jones said, adding that the popular shooter Call of Duty has been his focus, with mixed results. “With all the spare time I’ve had you’d think I’d have become pretty good at it, but I’m just average.”

Then there’s the world’s most popular streaming service.

“I just finished watching Sons of Anarchy, which was a really good show, and I have numerous shows on the run right now, I’m kind of trying to bounce back and forth between a lot of them,” he said.

“You don’t realize how much you can do on your own when you’re in lockdown.

At first it’s kind of boring, but the more time you spend by yourself, you realize you can get through by doing what we’re doing.”

Of course, that’s on top of all the work with the team, as head coach Mark O’Leary touched on in a conversation with MooseJawToday.com on Friday morning.

“We’ve had team work-outs in the morning, Brooke Koslofski would run those, then the coaching staff would have the afternoon with the players and we’d go over systems stuff, some standards and expectations when it comes to on-ice and off-ice,” O’Leary explained. “There was a little bit of video, a bit of drawing on the whiteboard and the guys were engaged and picking it up pretty quick. That will help when training camp is so short.”

For his part, now that all the waiting is behind them, Jones is looking forward to the upcoming action-packed schedule.

“We’re going to be going, going, going constantly, but I think that’ll be good for us,” he said. “There aren’t a lot of days off, but we’ve had plenty of days off now, just from the long break and everything.

And it’ll also help pass the time, it’ll go by fast, especially when you’re away from home and stuff.”

Outfielder Espy to bring plenty of speed to Miller Express outfield Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express The Moose Jaw Miller Express continue to reveal their roster for the 2021 Western Canadian Baseball League season, and one of their newest signees brings a key component to the club.

Pure, unadulterated speed.

And while Brennan Espy from Marshfield, Missouri might not be 5.93-seconds-60-yard-dash fast, as one recruiting site had him clocked at - which would give him the third-fastest time in the distance in history - by all accounts, he brings plenty of wheels to his outfield position.

Espy, 18, is currently preparing for his freshman season with NCAA Division II Drury University after a standout career with the Marshfield Blue Jays high school team.

The 6-foot-0, 170-pound right-handed hitter was named all-state in his sophomore year as well as all-district and all-conference in his sophomore and junior seasons.

“We have known Brennan for a long time as he has showcased himself to be one of the best athletes in the area across a handful of sports,” said Drury head coach Scott Nasby in announcing Espy’s signing. “His speed and tools are advanced, and we expect him to earn playing time vacated from our senior-heavy outfield as a freshman.”

Espy hit .231 with nine runs batted in and seven stolen bases in his junior season with the Blue Jays and was projected to be a key component for a Marshfield team with high hopes for 2020. Unfortunately,

Brennan Espy from Marshield, Missouri will be joining the Miller Express this summer the whole spring season for the school was washed out due to the ongoing pandemic.

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“Brennan’s speed in the outfield is a huge advantage as well as his arm,” Jays head coach William Pate said prior to the 2020 campaign on the Ozark’s Sports Zone website. “He has the ability to be a dangerous bat in the lineup.”

Espy is the third player from Drury to sign with the Miller Express, joining sophomore Stephen Randazzo and fellow freshman Wes Collins in making the trip north this summer.

Drury kicked off their season on March 6 against Maryville University.

The Miller Express open their campaign on May 28 when they host the Medicine Hat Mavericks at Ross Wells Park.

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MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A33

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Moose Jaw Minor Football aiming to launch high school spring league Hoping for six-game season with flexible start date after fall campaign cancelled due to COVID-19 Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

Moose Jaw Minor Football high school players in the city and surrounding communities are hoping to take the field, even if it’s a good six months later than they’d normally have been playing.

A proposal by the Southern Saskatchewan High School Spring League is hoping to see at least a pair of local teams as well as squads from Estevan, Swift Current, Weyburn and Yorkton take the field for a six-game season beginning as early as mid-April.

The league would be for players from Grades 9 through 12 and would be 12-man football if numbers and provincial restrictions enable it. Otherwise nine-man will be considered.

“The biggest thing is these kids lost their season in the fall and we’re trying to do everything in our power to give them a season,” said MJMFL president Bryan Boys.

“Those senior kids, they don’t have any film and a lot of them are trying to go play at the next level. It’s pretty tough when you don’t have any film to show coaches. So that’s another big thing for us.

“And it might be some of those seniors’ last chance playing, ever, so we certainly want to give them a chance to play.”

The good thing is Boys and the MJMFL have been through this all before - this past fall they fought tooth and nail to get a season together for their youngsters and eventually pulled it off. It was a heavily modified and rules-heavy season, but a season nonetheless.

The key to it all, of course, is where the pandemic restrictions are sitting. The Apr. 19 date could be pushed back to May 3, and even as late as May 17, with games going into late June if necessary.

“I think right now our (COVID) numbers are going down and we’re looking pretty good, but you never know what

Moose Jaw high school football players will be back on the field this spring if Moose Jaw Minor Football has anything to say about it. it’s going to be,” Boys said. “So you could say we’re being very flexible at this point.”

The MJMFL is aiming for two teams locally, but that could change if registration really takes off. There will be no direct affiliation with high schools, but some effort will be given to keep players from their respective teams together, if only for the ‘playing the season with your buddies’ idea.

“It’ll be a mix of players, we’ll try and group them together by their high school teams, but no matter what we get, we’ll put things together and I’m sure they’ll all have no problem if they’re out there with a chance to play the game they love,” Boys said.

That includes the out-of-town teams, who have already thrown their support behind the idea.

“It really works out, because all our minor football centres are basically all the centres from high school, so all these organizations are stepping up to give these kids

that opportunity,” Boys said. “Weyburn, Swift Current, Estevan, Yorkton, we’re trying to get all these guys in together and it’s going to be a good opportunity for everyone.”

Games would take place at Elk’s Field, practices at the Minor Football practice fields, with Boys expecting many of the rules to remain the same as they were in the fall when it comes to crowd size and distribution, parking and the like.

Finding coaches won’t be a problem, either. In addition to the multitude of high school staffs - many of whom are already regulars on minor football sidelines - Boys firmly believes plenty of folks will step up to help out when the time comes.

“I’ve approached all our minor teams, and all of our coaches were all for it,” Boys said. “I’ll be out coaching, we’ll bring (Sask Selects football founder) Zeljko (Stefanovic) back out, we’ll be all in. There are a lot of football guys out there who will want to be a part of this, I’m sure.”

The one thing that’s for certain is with Boys and the MJMFL at the helm, everything possible will be done to try and make things happen.

“In the fall we wrote letter after letter and made a ton of phone calls… I’m a grinder,” Boys said. “All I do is football, I’ll fight for the kids and we’re going to fight our asses off to get these kids a place to play. We’ll be loud, our parents will be supporting us. And when spring gets here, people will have been locked down, you’ll have people looking to get out there and this opportunity is one we’re hoping will have a lot of support.”

For more information, including a rundown of the potential rules and in order to register, visit mjfootball.ca/ spring-league/.

Warriors coach O’Leary talks team and expectations for upcoming campaign Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

With high expectations and even though their season has been pandemic-delayed, the Warriors’ schedule kicks off against the Brandon Wheat Kings on March 12 in the Regina hub.

They want to be better and have the confidence they will be able to pull it off.

“I think as coaches, we’re all looking forward to seeing the product on the ice,” said Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary. “I know certainly we look at it as a positive that we have so many guys coming back; we got kicked in the teeth a few times last year but we got back up and dusted ourselves off and I know the players were looking forward to the off-season.

“I’m expecting we’ll see a lot of improvement in terms of where the players are. I know they got another year older but that doesn’t always equate to another year better, so we’ll see how it looks and there will be a lot of competition for playing time this year, for sure.”

“It’s a busy schedule, but it’s definitely one we’re looking forward to.”

-Moose Jaw Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary The Warriors finished last season with the second-worst record in the WHL at 14-44-4-0. But they were also the youngest team in the Canadian Hockey League, a factor that has led to the entire team returning this season outside of their graduated overagers.

One of those is fourth-year veteran Tate Popple, who spent his rookie year with the Brett Howden-led Scotty Munro Trophy-winning crew that won 52 games in 201718. He carried a large presence on the team last season and is one player whose leadership will be crucial this season.

“Tate Popple is huge for us,” O’Leary said. “He was the glue that kind of kept things together in the dressing room last year, going through a tough year, and he was great between the coaches and the players. He’s a mature guy that’s been in the league for a long time and knows

“We want to make sure we’ll have a good product this year and we’re doing things right, but we know there’s a building process towards next season where we could be super competitive.”

It would most certainly be remiss not to also touch on Brayden Yager.

When the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League officially closed down for the season, that freed up the Saskatoon Contacts 15-year-old standout and 2020 WHL Draft third-overall pick to join the team for the full 24game campaign. A rather ironic turn of events, considering Yager had applied for exceptional player status to play the full 68-game season last year but was turned Moose Jaw Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary is down. looking to see his charges take a step forward this “Yager, I’ve been watching a lot of video on him here the last little while, he’s special and he’s going to be able season. to work his way up the line-up as well,” O’Leary said.

“With the different stipulations with minor hockey not what it means to be a Moose Jaw Warrior, so he’ll pick up up and running, he’ll have just as much opportunity as any other player to move up the line-up and battle for ice where he left off in his leadership role.”

But make no mistake, this is Daemon Hunt’s crew to time.” captain. The Minnesota Wild draft pick carries a huge Overall, it’s all a matter of adjusting to the strange cirlevel of confidence in his game and is looking forward cumstances surrounding the Regina hub, staying healthy to wearing the ‘C’ for the Tribe this year while showing both on and off the ice and doing everything possible to some of the younger players what it takes to reach the take another important step forward.

“It’s finding that balance,” O’Leary said. “We have three next level.

“It’s his team now; he’s an 18-year-old with a lot of in- overage players (Popple and off-season acquisitions Rifluence and between him and Ryder Korczak, they’re ley Krane and Brad Ginnell) who have put in their time two high-profile players who certainly have a big say in in the league and we certainly want to make sure we’re whether we win or lose,” O’Leary said. “Then Calder doing everything we can to give them a season as well, Anderson and Logan Doust, with their leadership skills, they want to go on to bigger and better things.

I feel really confident about our leadership in the room.” “But it shifts a little bit more to the development side Popple, Korczak, Anderson and Doust all serve as assis- and we have to make sure we’re giving these players a chance to improve and take another step toward what our tant captains through the campaign. ultimate goal is.”

Then there are young up-and-comers in the line-up.

NHL Draft prospect Eric Alarie will lead a talented crew The one last bit of good news is the Warriors and their of 17-year-olds that includes Moose Jaw Minor Hockey fans now know exactly when and who they’ll be playproduct Atley Calvert alongside the likes of fellow rookie ing after the league officially released the East Division forward Jagger Firkus, 16, and defenceman Denton Mat- schedule. eychuk - all of whom showed flashes of brilliance when “It’s going to be 24 games in 47 nights, so it’s going to be basically playing twice every three days and an hour they took the ice with the Warriors last season.

“Those are some good young players, and they’ll have a of practice allotted for each team in between,” O’Leary good chance to show what they can do,” O’Leary said. said. “It’s a busy schedule, but it’s definitely one we’re looking forward to.”

PAGE A34 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

COVID-19 restrictions & Upcoming Events in Moose Jaw The following is a running list of groups, businesses, and organizations that have implemented COVID-19 precautions due to concerns about COVID-19. Moose Jaw Express staff will be updating this list as needed.

If you would like your notice or event added to this list, contact us at editor@mjvexpress.com.

For information about the status of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, or for more information on symptoms and preventative measures, visit saskatchewan.ca/ COVID19.

Current Public Health Orders: The Saskatchewan Health Authority is currently recommending: - residents maintain a minimum of three meters distance when in public; - adhere to hand-washing protocols and sanitation measures in public spaces; - self-monitor for the development of COVID-19 symptoms and contact HealthLine 811 if any appear; - maintain a close household bubble to help reduce the spread of the virus and aid with contact tracing procedures.

Face masks are now mandatory in all indoor spaces across the province, including fitness facilities and workplace areas not accessible to the public.

Indoor private gatherings are now limited to household members only, no visitors. Single individuals who live alone may be in contact with one consistent household of less than five individuals.

Outdoor gatherings are now limited to a maximum of 10 people, with physical distancing in place. Nonessential interprovincial or international travel is strongly discouraged.

Public venues are limited to a max of 30 people and all sports activities are cancelled for all age groups. Retail stores and personal services like salons must limit their capacity to 50 per cent. Large stores must limit capacity to 25 per cent.

Visitors are also currently not allowed at SHA-operated facilities in the province, with the exception of compassionate care reasons, and masks are required in all areas of SHA facilities.

Vaccine delivery has begun, with Phase One for vulnerable priority populations underway and Phase Two for the general public proceeding in April using an age-based priority list.

Changes in Businesses & Organizations: Please be sure to check with individual businesses, organizations and public spaces about specific COVID-19 precautions that they may have in place.

Casinos and bingo halls are closed by the mandate of public health.

The Cosmo Senior Citizens’ Centre and Timothy Eaton Gardens are closed until further notice.

Upcoming Events: Grief Support groups from Jones-Parkview Funeral Services are moving to Zoom for the time being. For the link to attend any of these groups, contact Della Ferguson at dferguson@sasktel.net.

The Moose Jaw Public Library: is still offering virtual programming to the public. Teen events are hosted on Discord and adult events on Zoom, and the links to join events can be found on the library’s website. Upcoming events include: - Digital Dungeons & Dragons on March 9 and March 16 at 7 p.m.; - MJPL Book Club on March 9 at 7 p.m.; - Festival of Words Book Club on March 25 at 2:30 p.m.; - Teen eBook Club on March 30 at 4 p.m.

Moose Jaw Legion: The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 59 Moose Jaw lounge hours are now listed as Mondays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m.

Face masks are mandatory. Upcoming activities at the Legion include: - Veteran’s morning coffee: Monday to Friday at 10 a.m.; - next meat draw fundraiser: March 13 and March 20 at 3 p.m.; - Chase the Ace: March 13 and March 20 at 3 p.m.; - Trivia Night on March 13 at 7 p.m. Contact the Legion to book your table in advance.

Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery: - The new Virtual Travel Series, an adaptation of the Noon Hour Slides program will be held over Zoom every Wednesday at noon until March.

- The new exhibition Fire in the Belly: SK Women in Art, featuring a collection of work from many different female prairie artists, is now on display in the gallery until May 2.

- A Virtual Artbook Club event on March 11 at 1 p.m. invites attendees to join by video to discuss the book Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel, which talks about

women abstract painters breaking into the modern art scene in post-war USA. - Through Her Eyes, an exhibition featuring landscape artwork of Moose Jaw and area by Saskatchewan women artists, will be on display in the lobby of the gallery from March 12 to May 2.

- The MJMAG is hosting its Annual General Meeting on March 25 at 7 p.m. via Zoom.

Seniors’ Centre Without Walls: A selection of upcoming feature programs from the telephone service in March includes: - Writing Fiction and Non-Fiction with author Judith Silverthorne on March 16 at 1 p.m.; - Digestion information session with Paulette Millis on March 17 at 11 a.m.; - Brain Games with Donna Kostal from the Moose Jaw Public Library on March 24 at 10:30 a.m.; - The Great Depression Story with Karla Rasmussen from the Western Development Museum on March 30 at 10 a.m.; - Food On the Run informational session with Paulette Millis on March 31 at 11 a.m.

Moose Jaw Cultural Centre: has a new art exhibit opening in its gallery on March 10, available until Apr. 21. Titled Narrative: Three Artists, Many Stories, the new exhibit features the work of local artists Laura Hamilton, Jess Zoerb and Chris Wikman.

Festival of Words: Registration for virtual events is available online at festivalofwords.com: - The Cineview Discussion Group is meeting on March 17 at 7 p.m. to discuss Pixar’s Soul; - The Virtual Book Club is meeting on March 25 at 2:30 p.m. to discuss Moose Jaw author Melanie McFarlane’s newest novel Finders Keepers; - Another evening of the Performer’s Cafe will take place on March 25 at 7 p.m.

St. Andrew’s United Church: The church is hosting a drive-through dinner fundraiser on Palm Sunday, featuring a roast beef dinner from Charlotte’s Catering for $20 a plate. Meals will be available to pick up between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on March 28 at the church.

Contact the St. Andrew’s office, Sheila Leahy at 1 (306) 694-5980 or Louise McDougall at 1 (306) 693-2312 to pre-order.

A look at COVID numbers from Feb. 27 to Mar. 5 As of Friday, Mar. 5, there are 39 active cases in the South Central 2 sub-zone. There are 1,507 active cases in the province overall.

Saturday, Feb. 27: 162 cases reported in the province, 7 in the South Central (all located in the South Central 2 subzone). Five deaths reported in SK, 119 recoveries.

Sunday, Feb. 28: 141 cases reported in the province, 8 in the South Central (all of which were in the South Central 2 sub-zone). Zero deaths reported in SK, 146 recoveries.

Monday, Mar. 1: 154 cases reported in the province, 0 in the South Central. Zero deaths reported in SK, 146 recoveries.

Tuesday, Mar. 2: 134 cases reported in the province, 3 in the South Central (all of which were in the South Central 2 sub-zone). Two deaths reported in SK, 194 recoveries.

Wednesday, Mar. 3: 121 cases reported in the province, 0 in the South Central. Two deaths reported in SK, 180 recoveries.

Thursday, Mar. 4: 169 cases reported in the province, 3 in the South Central (all located in the South Central 2 subzone). Two deaths reported in SK, 168 recoveries.

Friday, Mar. 5: 207 cases reported in the province, 5 in the South Central (all located in the South Central 2 subzone). Two deaths reported in SK, 125 recoveries.

Vaccine delivery: 86,879 total. As of Mar. 5, 2,767 doses have been administered in the South Central.

COVID-19: How to know your calls are from the SHA The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has some tips for helping the public know when a phone call is from the SHA for individuals receiving calls about test results and contact tracing: • Partial information exchange to confirm identity: At the beginning of the call, the SHA will provide the recipient with the first three digits of their Saskatchewan Health Card number. The recipient will then be asked to provide the last three digits of their health card. The SHA may also ask individuals to confirm their first and last name, and date of birth. This will ensure that both

the caller and recipient are legitimate. * NOTE: This partial information exchange may not be possible in all situations; for example, when an individual is initially contacted by the SHA to inform them they are a close contact of a positive case. In these instances, the SHA may only have the individual’s first name and phone number.

• Call-back option: If you are unsure of the legitimacy of the caller or you prefer not to answer your phone when an unknown number appears, please take note of the number and call back to verify that it is an SHA number.

When calling back, you will either be connected with an SHA representative or receive a recording indicating you have reached the Saskatchewan Health Authority and that a representative of the SHA will try to reach you again from the same number.

Read the entire announcement on the Saskatchewan Health Authority Website: https://www.saskhealthauthority.ca/news/releases/Pages/2021/March/COVID-19How-to-know-your-calls-are-from-the-SHA.aspx

SHA: COVID-19 vaccine delivery clinics and how they are operating in Phase One Larissa Kurz

With Phase One of the provincial vaccine delivery plan well underway, many residents have questions about how vaccine clinics are currently delivering immunization to priority populations.

The following details are from the Saskatchewan Health Authority, explaining how Phase One of the plan is being delivered.

Phase One is currently targeting priority populations, including long-term care residents, health care workers, people in the age category of 70 years or older, and people in northern communities aged 50 years or older.

Individuals eligible for a Phase One immunization will be contacted directly to book an appointment at a vaccine clinic near them. There is no list or requirement for individuals to pre-register for the vaccine.

People in the 70+ age group living independently in the community will be contacted directly with vaccine information when possible, and through local media and social media when direct contact is not possible.

For those who become eligible for their vaccine during Phase One but do not receive it before Phase Two begins, they will maintain their eligibility and can be vaccinated in Phase Two. Currently, the vaccine clinic in Moose Jaw is only operating by appointment with Phase One priority individuals. When Phase Two begins, Moose Jaw will have a mass immunization clinic and a drive-through immunization clinic.

Both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines must be used within six hours of puncturing vials, so the SHA shared the work standard protocol in place for when health care workers have unallocated doses approaching expiry that cannot be put back into storage.

Healthcare workers on the immunization teams are to pull forward people in the current priority phase who are already booked to receive a vaccine, moving them ahead in the queue.

If no one is available, the team will contact other current

priority phase individuals who may be on standby and give them the option to come in immediately for vaccination.

If that process is unsuccessful, the healthcare workers on the immunization team may deliver vaccines to each other.

If there are still additional doses available, the team may offer the vaccine to a readily available candidate, with priority given to individuals in the current phase.

A statement from the SHA said that this protocol was put into motion in Moose Jaw, after immunizations began near the end of February.

Extra doses pulled from supplied Pfizer vaccine vials in Moose Jaw were “recently were given to health care workers and those over the age of 70; both groups identified as part of Phase One of the vaccination plan.”

For more information on the vaccine delivery plan, visit saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.

MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A35

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Vaccination rate in Sask. expected to increase with addition of AstraZeneca vaccine Larissa Kurz

Public health recently made several announcements about the province’s vaccination plan, including the province’s expectation that the entire adult population will have access to a first dose of the vaccine by the end of June this year.

Saskatchewan is expecting deliveries of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to begin in March, with the first 15,500 doses of the newly-approved vaccine to be provided to residents in the 60-64 age group as well as Phase One priority healthcare workers.

The province has made the decision to include residents aged 60-64 in this phase based on a recommendation from the National Advisory Committee that the AstraZeneca supply be targeted to those under 65 years of age.

Much like the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, the AstraZeneca vaccine requires two doses, recommended 12 weeks apart, with protective effectiveness of 62 per cent after the second dose.

Administration of AstraZeneca doses will begin on March 22, with vaccines distributed to six major centres in the province. Public health expects to see all of these vaccines given to eligible residents within a week, on a by-appointment basis.

Healthcare workers eligible to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine will be contacted directly by the SHA, while

public residents will be able to book by phone.

The province is preparing to launch its phone-in booking system as early as this week, once the system completes final testing. The SHA will be giving residents the option to book appointments for both their doses at the same time, using the online and phone-in platform.

More details on the booking process are expected to be announced soon.

Saskatchewan public health is also expanding the interval window between doses beginning March 5, following recent updates to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s (NACI) recommendations.

For vaccines administered after March 5, the allowed interval between the first and second doses will be expanding from one month to up to four months.

The change in policy is being implemented as a reaction to concerns about the limited vaccine supply, as NACI and Saskatchewan public health both agree that jurisdictions should be maximizing the number of people who receive a first dose of vaccine protection.

Increasing the window between doses is expected to speed up the province’s vaccination rate enough to provide the first dose to all adults in Saskatchewan by the end of June.

The delayed second dose strategy will not be applying

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to longer-term care and personal care residents and staff who have yet to receive their second dose, or any residents with already scheduled second-dose appointments.

On March 3, Premier Scott Moe also hinted that the province may be considering loosening some of the current public health restrictions as early as next week, if active case numbers continue to stay in the current range.

Chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab also said that officials were open to discussion, but the ultimate decision will rely on the province seeing steady low case numbers and infection rates.

Restrictions that may be on the table include the rules surrounding household contact and the four-week cycle for reviewing public health orders, said Shahab, but he felt there is still infection concerns around the province.

“We still need to wait until next week for some decisions,” said Shahab, in a press conference. “On an individual level, people have done so well for the last twelve months and it would be unfortunate if people were exposed [to COVID] so close to the finish line [of vaccination].”

The current public health orders in place are set for review on March 19.

For more information about the Saskatchewan vaccination plan, visit saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.

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PAGE A36 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

OBITUARIES ELSIE ALFREDA LANGHORNE (Cooper, Stevenson) Elsie Alfreda Langhorne, born May 25th, 1918 on the family homestead near Parkbeg, SK, passed away Sunday, February 28th, 2021 in Moose Jaw, SK. Elsie was predeceased by her parents, Joseph and Frieda Cooper; husband, Charles Stevenson; brother, Russell Cooper; sister, Dorothy Currie; husband, Ted Langhorne; grandson, Kelly Churko; as well as numerous brothers and sisters-in-law. Left to remember and celebrate her life are her sisters: Norma Brown, Eleanor Simmons, Joyce Kennedy, and Shirley Boan; children: Bonnie Watson (Glenn), Denny Stevenson (Gina), and Russ Stevenson (Ranie); grandchildren: Kim Churko, Kevin Churko (Kemnay), Cory Churko (Jody), Casey Churko, Parker Stevenson (Cameron), Brady Stevenson (Rachel), Becky King (Trevor), and Liana Gaspers (Scott); greatgrandchildren: Tréa, Alethia, Kane (MeShawn), Khloe (Sal), Carter, Kirsten, Madison, and Hayden; multiple nieces and nephews; and the entire Langhorne family who she loved dearly.

Elsie graduated from Mortlach High School, then went to Normal School in Moose Jaw to become a teacher.

Most of her teaching was in Sunday School telling her flannel-graph stories in churches, summer camps, 5 day clubs, and for seniors at Pioneer Lodge. She shared the message of Jesus wherever she could. She married Charlie in 1942 and they were married 42 years, having three children and living on the farm south of Mortlach.

They sold the farm and moved into Moose Jaw in the 70’s and lived happily until Charlie’s passing in 1984.

Elsie said she loved two men in her life and was lucky enough to marry both of them. She married Ted and had a brief but very happy time together before his passing.

Friends and family enjoyed many good meals at her home, especially her fresh baked buns and delicious pies. She had to feed everyone, from maintenance men, to cleaning ladies, to the paper delivery guy. It is the consensus of all who knew her that she was incredibly strong. Her influence on the lives of others will be evident for many generations to come.

Due to public health restrictions, a Private Service will be held and interment will take place at Sunset Cemetery. You are welcome to view the Funeral Service virtually on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. by going to www.moosejawfuneralhome. com/webcast/.

Thank you to the compassionate staff at Pioneer Lodge.

Thank you also to Pastor Marvin Seaborg for officiating the service as well as for all of the acts of kindness shown to our mother. In lieu of flowers, donations in Elsie’s name may be made to the Autism Resource Centre Inc, 199 N. Leonard St, Regina, SK S4N 5X5 or Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan, Unit 26 - 1738 Quebec Ave, Saskatoon, SK S7K 1V9.

Arrangements are entrusted to Moose Jaw Funeral Home, 268 Mulberry Lane. Todd Sjoberg, Funeral Director 306-693-4550 www.moosejawfuneralhome. com

DONALDA BERTIE GERLACH Donalda “Donnie” Bertie Gerlach (nee MacDonald), late of Lumsden, SK, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at the age of 83 years. She was a kind and joyful soul who touched the lives of many. Donnie was many things, but most of all, she was devoted to her family including her husband Stan, daughter Loretta Kim, her many brothers and sisters, and other family members. She took her life’s joy in knowing and caring for others, whether it be family, friends, neighbours, or the many customers she served in the food and beverage industry over the years.

Donnie spent the last five years of her life in the Lumsden Heritage Home and the love and care she received was second to none. To the end, she took such happiness in the relationships she had with all the staff.

Donnie’s family has so much appreciation for all the amazing staff at the Heritage Home for their endless love, care, and compassion.

Donnie had a long life that was truly characterized by love, caring for others, and happiness. In the spirit in which she lived, we do not grieve her passing but rather celebrate with gratitude for having had her in our lives and for the lessons she taught us about unconditional love.

She was predeceased by her father Angus MacDonald; mother Lillian MacDonald (Madrega); husband Stan Gerlach; brothers-in-law Bill Lipon, Rick Coward, Paul Mayer and Jack Dolan; and sisters-in-law Betty MacDonald and Shawna Cossette. Donnie is survived by her daughter Loretta Kim Gerlach (Mark Brochu); brothers Angus MacDonald, William MacDonald and Kevin Cossette; sisters Delores Lipon, Diane McAllister (Grant), Janice Coward, Brenda Mayer, Lynn Seida (Steve), Stephanie Parsons (Garry), and Helen Dolan; many loved in-laws on her Gerlach side of the family; and many very beloved nieces and nephews in the MacDonald and Gerlach families. The family will hold a private Graveside Service in the future. Family and friends so wishing may make donations to the Lumsden Heritage Home, Box 479, Lumsden, SK, SOG 3CO.

CROSBIE, JOAN Joan Evelyn Crosbie passed away on Sunday, February 28th, 2021 at the age of 94.

She was born in Sunderland, Durham, England, on December 13, 1926, and, as a baby, came with her parents when they emigrated to Saskatchewan. She grew up in Moose Jaw and attended King George Public School and the Academy of Sion for High School. She worked as a legal stenographer until her marriage to Earl Crosbie in 1948. They lived in Moose Jaw until 1970 when they moved to Blind Bay on Lake Shuswap, B.C. Joan enjoyed many sports including skating, water and snow skiing. She also enjoyed knitting and reading, but most of all painting. She was a life member of the Blind Bay Painters. Also, bridge was her greatest pleasure in her later years. She was a member for many years of the sorority, Beta Sigma Phi. She and Earl enjoyed many great trips. One of the best was a 4-month trip around the world by ship. Other parts of the world they visited were India, China, Japan, Thailand, Mexico, Europe, Russia, South Africa, the British Isles, Yukon and Alaska. They also spent 9 winters in Mesa, Arizona. A trip by car across Canada from Vancouver to newfoundland was a real pleasure.

Joan was predeceased by Earl, her husband of 71 years, her parents and her two sons, Bob in 1978 and Hugh in 2010. She is survived by her grandson, Fraser (Jennifer) and great-grandsons, Domenic and Anthony, all of Calgary, daughters-in-law, Linda and Ursula, and many nieces and nephews.

There will be no funeral at Joan’s request. Bowers Funeral Service & Crematorium are in charge of arrangements. Cremation will take place and her remains will be laid to rest in Blind Bay Cemetery.

Online condolences may be sent to Joan’s family through her obituary at www.bowersfuneralservice. com

MCINNES, CHERYL Cheryl Lee McInnes, aged 59 years of Moose Jaw, SK passed away on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021.

Cheryl is survived by her husband, Howie; son, Allan (Melissa); grandchildren: Emily, Dominic, Blake, and Kimberly; son, Lance (Ariel); grandson, Emmett; mother, Sandra Kaes; brothers, Rick and Jamie (Joanne); and sister, Kelly

(Tim).

Cheryl enjoyed baking, gardening and spending times outdoors; but mostly loved to spend time with her grandchildren.

A Private Family Service will be held to honour Cheryl.

As an expression of sympathy, donations in Cheryl’s name may be made to a charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements are entrusted to Moose Jaw Funeral Home, 268 Mulberry Lane. Andrew Pratt Funeral Director 306-693-4550 www.moosejawfuneralhome. com

Please include the Moose Jaw Health Foundation in your estate plan to help your community for generations to come.

Please contact us for more information.

Moose Jaw Health Foundation 55 Diefenbaker Drive Moose Jaw, SK S6J 0C2 Phone (306) 694-0373

www.mjhf.org

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MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A37

OBITUARIES RUTH WIDERA It is with a heavy heart that the family of Ruth Hildegard Widera announce her passing at the age of 90. Ruth was born in Osterode, Germany to Paul and Wilhelmina Thews on February 16th, 1931. Ruth was the third youngest out of 10 children and the last surviving sibling.

In 1949 she met the love of her life Walter George Widera.

They were married on October 18th, 1949. Their daughter Hildegard was born October 8th, 1950.

With things being very difficult in Northwest Germany, they immigrated to Canada in 1952 with their TWOYEAR-OLD daughter and six months pregnant with their son George.

They settled in Southern Ontario and their son was born in Hanover, Ontario. Not liking the city LIFE, they moved North to Red Lake, Ontario in 1954.

On a very cold day, January 5, 1955 they welcomed their second son Dennis.

With Red Lake being too remote, in 1957 they moved near Thunder Bay, Ontario and in 1959 bought a farm in conmee Township. On their 160 acre farm they had a large apple orchard and a very large garden. Mom excelled at pickling, canning, and freezing all the vegetables for the winter.

On their hobby farm they had their milking cows, chickens, pigs, turkeys, geese, and ducks. Christmas dinner usually involved a roast goose which was a German tradition. Her homemade German Christmas cookies were outstanding. Ruth enjoyed participating in the Conmee Women’s Institute planning fall fairs, fundraising, writing cookbooks, and having social dinners.

In 1978, once the children had all moved out, Ruth and Walter moved out west and settled in Powell River, B.C. They loved the warmer climate which reminded them of Germany. Their large garden flourished with enormous zucchinis and 10-FOOT-TALL corn stalks. Walter loved salmon fishing and Ruth either canned or smoked all his catch.

Ruth loved her gardening and flowers bloomed all year round. in her spare time, Ruth loved to knit. All of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren would have slippers, socks, mittens, toques, sweaters, and afghans made for them. She also passed the time doing embroidery. In Powell River, Ruth enjoyed the German Club where many social gatherings were enjoyed by herself and Walter.

In 1995 they decided to move to Sparwood, B.C. to be

closer to family. From there, in 1997, they moved to Lethbridge, Alberta to be closer to medical facilities. We all enjoyed our visits to Lethbridge to see them for many special occasions.

In Lethbridge, Walter, with Ruth’s help, wrote their life history called “An Emigrant’s Story”.

Then in 2015 her daughter decided they should move to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan where she lived so she could assist them in their reclining years. In Moose Jaw, they received great care at Chateau St. Michaels.

Ruth is survived by her Three children: Hildegard (Mark) Anderson, George (Katalin) Widera, and Dennis (Christine) Widera; grandchildren Jeffrey (Jennifer), Stephen (Nicole), Heidi (Darren), Jennifer (Chris), and Grant (Jessica); as well as 10 great-grandchildren.

Ruth was predeceased by her husband of 71 years, her parents, her five brothers and four sisters, and her greatgrandson Joel Luke Anderson.

Ruth’s passion for life was her husband, her children, and doing everything for her family. She was always there for anything anyone needed. There was never a hungry mouth in the house whether it was family or friends. She loved all the animals on the farm and with her kind heart she was their constant caregiver 365 days a year. She loved nature and always thanked God for the beautiful harvest that he provided for the family year after year. She will be truly missed by all of the family until eternity. After 90 years on Earth, she is now at peace, reunited with Walter, and the rest of her LONG-LOST family whom she always talked about and sorely missed. God bless you and keep you Mom/Grandma in the presence of God, whom you worshipped and loved.

Love you always, To Those I Love and Those Who Loved Me When I am gone, release me, let me go. . .

I have so many things to see and do, You mustn’t tie yourself to me with tears; Be happy that we had so many years.

I gave to you my love, you can only guess How much you gave to me in happiness.

I thank you for the love you each have shown, But now it’s time I travelled alone.

So grieve a while for me if grieve you must; Then let your grief be comforted by trust.

It’s only for a while that we must part, So bless the memories within your heart Funeral Director Blake Seebach

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April 24, 1930 - March 10, 2020 Those we love don’t go away They walk beside us every day.

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St. Andrew’s United Church

(306) 694-1322

Music Director: Karen Purdy • Choir Director: Jenna Nash During the month of March 2021 St. Andrew’s will not be holding Sanctuary Services.

This is due to Covid 19 restrictions.

Rev. Jim Tenford will be continuing Sunday Services on YouTube and Facebook

E-mail: st.andrews.mj@sasktel.net Facebook: www.facebook.com/StAndrewsUnitedChurchMooseJaw Website: http://standrewsmoosejaw.ca

by Wanda Smith

With Great Anticipation

As I’ve raised our sweet peas, I’ve deliberately made plans ahead of time to create “anticipation”. Just as a child counts the sleeps until his/her birthday, the anticipation of the day carries as much or more excitement than the actual day. Anticipation is a gift in itself whereas instant self-gratification is empty and hollow. A long-awaited meeting of a loved one or an event provides a building up of hope to an expected outcome. Even planned outings, family game nights or day trips were eagerly anticipated in our home. Did you know that large amounts of the hormone, dopamine are released when we anticipate a pleasurable experience?

As I think about expectancy, I hold dear the moments of wonder and anticipation I experienced as a young girl. I was blessed to grow up in a small town church community that was vibrant and growing. This provided many opportunities to attend weddings of the young people who attended; the church fellowship was an extension of our family. I absolutely loved to attend the weddings of the girls who were a few years older than me, especially those who had saved themselves for their husbands-tobe. It is hard to put into words the sense I had when I sat on the hard wooden pew, decked out in my Sunday best; the atmosphere in the church was thick with reverence, wonder and anticipation. My heart beat faster. My breath was forced. From time to time, I’d sneak a peek to the back of the church to see if the bride and her father had arrived. The crowd was sitting on the edge of their seats in earnest expectation. The moment the bride arrived was sacred. Time stood still. As the minister said, “All rise”, the corporate gathering rose as one for this momentous occasion; smiles, tears and butterflies evident.

This was the moment that had been hoped for, prayed for and planned for! Oh the joy of this anticipated event!

There is another anticipated event that will crown every event that ever was; do you know what it is? Do you feel that tension in the atmosphere? The world is standing at attention, knowing something is happening. The earth is groaning for the revelation of the Jesus Christ; also known as His Second Coming. There is a marriage supper planned for all those invited. The Bride is making herself ready. There is great anticipation of this coming together of the Bridegroom and His Bride.

As I anticipate this great and glorious day for the ecclesia, there is a preparation we are in to become that glorious church without spot or wrinkle. The Bridegroom is wooing. He is calling. He is bidding us come into an intimate relationship with Him... trusting, resting and being in His presence. These are Song of Solomon’s words of the Bridegroom King to us in this hour: “Arise, my dearest. Hurry, my darling. Come away with Me! I have come as you have asked to draw you to My heart and lead you out. For now is the time, my beautiful one. ...Can you not discern this new day of destiny breaking forth around you? The early signs of my purposes and plans are bursting forth.” (Song of Solomon 2:10, 13a) He is shaping. He is shifting. He is sifting. He is pruning. These are days of preparation. Our hearts are being drawn into His. He is calling your name. Will you respond? Wonder awaits.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.

NEW LOCATION

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On the Front Porch

1102-3rd Avenue N.W. Moose Jaw

(Corner of Hall Street & 3rd Avenue N.W.)

Sunday Service 10:30 am Coffee & fellowship after the service For more information call: 306-691-2715 or visit our website

All Are Welcome!

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TRINITY UNITED CHURCH 277 Iroquois St W Moose Jaw, SK Next Service: Mar 14, 10:30am Rev. Doug Shepherd

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“Wall Street: Money” (:10) ›› “2 Guns” (2013) Denzel Washington. ›› “Safe House” (2012) 3’s Comp. 3’s Comp. Frasier Frasier Frasier Frasier The Office The Office Sister Wives (N) Sister Wives (N) Sister Wives (N) Sister Wives (N) North Woods Law North Woods Law North Woods Law North Woods Law Big Bang Big Bang Friends Friends Friends Friends Friends Friends ››› “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes” (1970) (:15) ››› “The Hound of the Baskervilles” (1959) ›› “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” (1997) Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore. ›› “Jurassic Park III” Drag Racing Drag Racing NHRA in 30 NHRA Drag Racing Gainesville Qualifying.

(6:30) ›› “Breakthrough” (2019) ›› “The Secret Life of Pets 2” (2019) “Broken Hearts” (:05) › “Cats” (2019) Taylor Swift, Idris Elba. ›› “Destroyer” (2018) Nicole Kidman.

“Once Upon a Time” (:15) › “Dolittle” (2020) Robert Downey Jr. ›› “Greta” (2018) Too Big Alabama Snake Real Time With Bill Maher The Undoing

SUNDAY EVENING 3 CBKFT 5 CFRE 6 CKCK 7 WEATH 8 WDIV 9 CBKT 11 WWJ 12 WXYZ 13 CTYS 19 TSN 20 NET 25 EDACC 26 W 29 ENCAV2 33 CMT 35 TLC 38 DISC 41 COM 42 TCM 47 AMC 48 FSR 55 CRV1 56 CRV2 57 CRV3 58 HBO

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District 31 La facture Toute la vie (N) 5e rang (N) Le téléjournal (N) NCIS “Watchdog” (N) FBI “Leverage” (N) (:01) New Amsterdam (N) Global News at 10 (N) Holmes Family Effect This Is Us (N) Big Bang Big Bang Big Bang etalk (N) Evenings on TWN Evenings on The Weather Network Overnight on TWN This Is Us “I’ve Got This” (:01) New Amsterdam (N) News Tonight Show-J. Fallon Seth Meyers Coronation Family Feud Kim 22 Minutes Moms TallBoyz (N) The National (N) FBI “Leverage” (N) FBI: Most Wanted (N) Two Men Late Show-Colbert Corden black-ish mixed-ish Soul of a Nation “Faith” News (:35) Jimmy Kimmel Live! Nightline (N) Young Rock Kenan (N) Hudson & Rex (N) Mom Mom Brainfood Brainfood NBA Basketball NBA Basketball New Orleans Pelicans at Portland Trail Blazers. (N) SC With Jay NHL Hockey Sportsnet NHL Hockey NHL’s Best Big Bang etalk (N) Goldbergs Seinfeld Criminal Minds Holmes Family Effect (:10) Mom (:40) Mom The Office The Office Saved-Bell (:45) Saved by the Bell She’s Out (5:20) Annie (:25) ›› “Big Fat Liar” (2002) ››› “Billy Elliot” (2000) Julie Walters, Jamie Bell.

Raymond Raymond King King Frasier Frasier The Office The Office The Blended Bunch (:02) Unexpected (N) (:02) Sister Wives OutDaughtered Gold Rush (N) Heavy Rescue: 401 (N) Homestead Rescue Gold Rush: Pay Dirt Goldbergs Fresh-Boat Friends Friends Friends Friends Big Bang Big Bang “Last Time-Paris” (:15) ›››› “Father of the Bride” (1950, Comedy) “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (6:00) ›› “Bad Boys II” (2003) Martin Lawrence. ›› “Hancock” (2008) Will Smith, Charlize Theron.

Drag Racing NHRA in 30 NHRA in 30 NASCAR Race Hub (:10) ›› “The Broken Hearts Gallery” (2020) “Viena and the Fantomes” (2020) Red Joan (6:15) “Red Joan” (2018) ›› “Happy Death Day 2U” (2019) (:45) ›› “One Week” (2008, Drama) Astronaut ›› “The Secret Life of Pets 2” (2019) Shameless “Cancelled” ›› “The Prodigy” (6:55) “Crazy, Not Insane” (2020, Documentary) “Wig” (2019, Documentary) Insecure

WEDNESDAY EVENING 3 CBKFT 5 CFRE 6 CKCK 7 WEATH 8 WDIV 9 CBKT 11 WWJ 12 WXYZ 13 CTYS 19 TSN 20 NET 25 EDACC 26 W 29 ENCAV2 33 CMT 35 TLC 38 DISC 41 COM 42 TCM 47 AMC 48 FSR 55 CRV1 56 CRV2 57 CRV3 58 HBO

SPORTS

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District 31 Trop (N) Une autre histoire (N) Faits divers (N) Le téléjournal (N) 9-1-1 “Hen Begins” (:01) Big Brother Canada Bull (N) Global News at 10 (N) Big Bang Bob Heart All Rise “Georgia” (N) The Good Doctor Big Bang etalk (N) Evenings on TWN Evenings on The Weather Network Overnight on TWN (6:00) The Voice (N) (:01) Debris “Solar Winds” News Tonight Show-J. Fallon Seth Meyers Coronation Family Feud Murdoch Mysteries Murdoch Mysteries The National (N) All Rise “Georgia” (N) Bull (N) Two Men Late Show-Colbert Corden (6:00) The Bachelor The Bachelor (N) News (:35) Jimmy Kimmel Live! Nightline (N) The Bachelor (Season Finale) (N) The Bachelor (N) Brainfood Brainfood (6:00) ATP Tennis Acapulco: Early Round Coverage, Day 1. (N) NHL Hockey Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames. (N) NHL Hockey Sportsnet Big Bang etalk (N) Criminal Minds The Voice The coaches seek America’s best voice. (:15) Mom (:45) Mom The Office The Office (:15) Saved by the Bell Saved-Bell 17 Again (6:35) ›› “The Great Gatsby” (2013, Drama) Little Birds Swedish Swedish Raymond Raymond King King Frasier Frasier The Office The Office Unexpected (N) Unexpected (N) Return to Amish (N) Unexpected Gold Rush: White Water Mud Mountain Haulers (N) Homestead Rescue Gold Rush: White Water Goldbergs Fresh-Boat Big Bang Big Bang Big Bang Big Bang Big Bang Big Bang (6:00) “Midnight Lace” (:15) ›››› “The Man Who Knew Too Much” (1956) Doris Day ›› Julie (6:00) “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” › “Legion” (2010) Paul Bettany, Lucas Black.

Walk:Dead NASCAR Truck Series Nascar Camping World Truck Series “Atlanta” NASCAR Race Hub (6:40) ›› “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (2019) “Ottolenghi and the Cakes” Shameless (6:30) “Gretel & Hansel” › “The Intruder” (2019) Michael Ealy. (:45) ››› “Jojo Rabbit” (2019) (:10) ››› “Fighting With My Family” (2019) ››› “First Cow” (2019) John Magaro, Orion Lee. The Apollo (:35) “Baby God” (2020, Documentary) Beartown (N) Allen v. Farrow

TUESDAY EVENING 3 CBKFT 5 CFRE 6 CKCK 7 WEATH 8 WDIV 9 CBKT 11 WWJ 12 WXYZ 13 CTYS 19 TSN 20 NET 25 EDACC 26 W 29 ENCAV2 33 CMT 35 TLC 38 DISC 41 COM 42 TCM 47 AMC 48 FSR 55 CRV1 56 CRV2 57 CRV3 58 HBO

8:30

Découverte Pharmac Tout le monde en parle (N) Téléjour. ›› “Transformers: Age of Extinction” (2014) Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci.

News Block Ellen’s Game of Games MasterChef Canada (N) Who Wants to Be Big Bang Big Bang Nature Press Paws Press Paws Press Paws Press Paws Press Paws Press Paws Press Paws Ellen’s Game of Games Good Girls “Big Kahuna” News Sports Final Inside Edit. Paid Prog.

Heartland (N) Baking Show Belgravia (N) The National (N) (6:00) The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards (N) Joel Osteen Grace NCIS (6:00) American Idol (N) Who Wants to Be News ThisMinute Bensinger Castle (6:00) The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards (N) Mom Paramedics: Mobile MD (6:30) 2021 Tim Hortons Brier Curling Final. (N) SportsCent. SC With Jay Onrait (N) NHL Hockey Sportsnet Central (N) Misplays NHL Hockey: Maple Leafs at Senators Corner Gas Corner Gas “Past Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery” (2018) Criminal Minds “Love Under” “Under the Autumn Moon” (2018) Lindy Booth.

Charmed (N) (6:35) ›› “A Star Is Born” (1976) Barbra Streisand. Les Miserables (N) Raymond Raymond Raymond Raymond The Unicorn The Unicorn Neighbor Neighbor (6:00) 90 Day Fiancé (N) Sister Wives (N) 1000-Lb. Sisters 90 Day Fiancé (6:00) BattleBots (N) Undercover Billionaire Grant seeks redemption. (N) BattleBots Friends Friends Friends Friends Friends Friends “Throw Momma” Trouble ›› “Jewel Robbery” (:45) ›› “Mandalay” (1934, Drama) “Berlin: Symphony” The Walking Dead (N) (:08) Talking Dead (N) (:08) The Walking Dead “One More” Reedus Drag Racing NHRA in 30 Drone Racing Drone Racing “Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw” VICE (N) Shameless “Cancelled” Robby Hoffman (5:50) “Lucy in the Sky” ››› “Doctor Sleep” (2019) Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson.

Clovehitch (6:45) ›› “Glass” (2019, Suspense) Bruce Willis. ›› “The Curse of La Llorona” (2019) In Fabric Real Time (:20) Showbiz Kids Allen v. Farrow (N) The Investig

MONDAY EVENING 3 CBKFT 5 CFRE 6 CKCK 7 WEATH 8 WDIV 9 CBKT 11 WWJ 12 WXYZ 13 CTYS 19 TSN 20 NET 25 EDACC 26 W 29 ENCAV2 33 CMT 35 TLC 38 DISC 41 COM 42 TCM 47 AMC 48 FSR 55 CRV1 56 CRV2 57 CRV3 58 HBO

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District 31 L’épicerie Les enfants de la télé (N) La grande bataille (N) Le téléjournal (N) Tough as Nails (N) SEAL Team Big Brother Canada (N) Global News at 10 (N) The Masked Singer (N) Conners Call Me Kat Goldbergs Big Bang Big Bang etalk (N) Evenings on TWN Evenings on The Weather Network Overnight on TWN Chicago Fire (N) Chicago P.D. (N) News Tonight Show-J. Fallon Seth Meyers Coronation Family Feud Coroner A John Doe. (N) Pretty Hard Cases “Ritz” The National (N) A Grammy Salute to the Sounds of Change (N) Two Men Late Show-Colbert Corden Conners Call-Mother The Con (N) News (:35) Jimmy Kimmel Live! Nightline (N) Chicago Med (N) Chicago Fire (N) Chicago P.D. (N) Brainfood Brainfood All Elite Wrestling SportsCentre (N) SportsCentre (N) SC With Jay Onrait (N) NHL Hockey Sportsnet NHL Hockey Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames. (N) Sportsnet Big Bang etalk (N) Goldbergs Seinfeld Goldbergs Housewife Criminal Minds Law-SVU (:20) Mom (7:50) Mom The Office Saved-Bell Saved-Bell Nancy Drew (N) (6:50) ››› “The Town” (2010) Ben Affleck. ››› “The Departed” (2006) Leonardo DiCaprio.

Raymond Raymond King King Frasier Frasier The Office The Office (6:00) My 600-Lb. Life (N) My Feet Are Killing Me My Feet Are Killing Me My 600-Lb. Life Expedition X (N) Moonshiners (N) Lone Star Law: Patrol Mysteries of the Deep Goldbergs Fresh-Boat Friends Friends Friends Friends Big Bang Big Bang (6:00) ›››› “The Quiet Man” (1952) ››› “Young Cassidy” (1965) Rod Taylor.

Odd Man (6:00) ››› “The Green Mile” (1999, Drama) Tom Hanks, David Morse.

The Walking Dead Drone Racing Drone Racing Drone Racing NASCAR Race Hub (:15) ›› “Greta” (2018, Suspense) Isabelle Huppert. “Intrigo: Samaria” (2019) Jeff Fahey, Millie Brady. ›› “Alita: Battle Angel” Shameless “Cancelled” ››› “Pavarotti” (2019) Bono, Luciano Pavarotti.

Mustang “Wild Nights With Emily” (2018) ›› “Men in Black: International” (2019) Elvis (:20) Elvis Presley: The Searcher Boardwalk Empire Boardwalk Empire

MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • PAGE A39

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50 Brigham Rd

1393 Regal Cres

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St. Joseph’s Parish to ring bells again to mark Jason anniversary of pandemic G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Janie Fries and Rosalie Boots stand outside St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in April 2020 and listen to the bells ring out, as part of an initiative to offer hope to the community during the pandemic. The parish will ring the bells again this year from March 8 to 12 to mark the first anniversary of the pandemic. Photo

by Jason G. Antonio

St. Joseph’s Parish plans to ring its bells again to acknowledge the first anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide residents with a message of renewed hope and encouragement.

The bells will ring out from the Roman Catholic church from March 8 to 12, beginning at noon each day and lasting for about five to 10 minutes. March 11 will be a particularly special day, as that is when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic last year.

St. Joseph’s bells rang in 2020, starting in the spring until mid-June, as a message of encouragement and a reminder that many were praying for society’s well-being during the lockdown.

Martin Rossler, the church’s maintenance manager, rang the bells last year and will do the honours again this year.

The community’s positive response last year showed that residents appreciated the uplifting sound, said Janie Fries, who initiated the idea to ring the bells daily during the lockdown. The parish took a break from the activity in June but did not know how long that break would be.

However, Fries and others realized that the bells should ring again for the first anniversary of the pandemic announcement.

Fries acknowledged that many people probably want to forget about the pandemic or its anniversary. However, she pointed out that some have expressed surprise at how quickly the year went by while others said it seemed to drag out.

“But either way, we’ve gone through a lot together,” she continued. “So I think just the fact we’ve been in this together, we’ve gotten this far, we can get to the end of it, we can get through it all — I think that’s one of the important messages.

“We’re still here to support each other until the very end.”

While the bells will ring out for only a week, Fries noted that they could ring again for special occasions, such as when the last vaccination shot is delivered in the province.

“I wish there were more churches with bells in the city, that’s for sure,” she chuckled. “It would be nice if we could hear them all over the city. But I’m always surprised at the number of people who say they’ve heard them and the distance that they are from St. Joseph’s … .

“It would be such a joyful sound if we did have that (citywide bell ringing).”

Fries added that residents do not need to visit the church to listen to the bells. Instead, they can step outside for a few minutes around noon and listen to the musical instruments’ tolling.

Besides St. Joseph, one of the few churches with bells in Moose Jaw is St. Aidan Anglican Church on High Street East. The Anglican church joined the Roman Catholic parish last year to regularly ring the bells and continue ringing them.

Every Sunday at 7 p.m., Rhoda Cairns takes to St. Aidan’s bell tower and performs songs out of the hymn book for about an hour. Parishioners have been encouraged to sit outside the church — in their vehicles or on benches or chairs — to listen to the peaceful music.

It’s not just members of the church who have enjoyed the music, either. The parish administrator and priests have noted that residents who live in nearby apartment buildings crack open their windows during the warmer months to allow the music to seep in.

Those residents have also been known to bring a chair or walker to the church and sit across the street while listening to classic and newer Anglican hymns.

PAGE A40 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday, March 10, 2021

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